This study examined differential outcome between two stress management approaches according to subject characteristics. It was hypothesized that individuals with certain characteristics might benefit more from one form of stress management training (Rational Emotive Therapy) than another (Gendlin Focusing). The implication, were this hypothesis to be supported, would be that individuals could be streamed into one form of training versus another, according to certain personality variables, and the result would be greater effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of services. Subjects were classed as having one of two sets of characteristics. One class of subjects (N = 34) displayed stress cognitively on the Cognitive-Somatic Anxiety Questionnaire (CSAQ) and were of the Sensing type on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) while the other class of subjects (N = 31) displayed their stress somatically on the CSAQ and were of the Intuitive type on the MBTI. Based on personality theory, cognitively anxious Sensing types were predicted to have greater decreases in stress as a result of receiving a Rational Emotive Therapy approach to stress management while somatically anxious Intuitive types were predicted to have greater decreases in stress as a result of receiving a Gendlin Focusing approach to stress management. Additional measures of client characteristics were taken in order to explore the predictive potential of variables which the literature indicates might be useful in predicting differential outcome. These included Locus of Control, Verbal Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning, Experiencing Ability, Rational Beliefs. A measure of stress (Symptom Check List-90-R) was taken at three points in time: pre, post-training (or post-waiting as in the case of the waiting-list controls), and at one-month follow-up. A waiting-list control group (N = 30) was utilized to demonstrate a treatment versus no treatment comparison. Treatment group subjects received 12-15 hours of stress management training in either (Rational Emotive Therapy) RET or Focusing spread over 5 weeks. Half of each class of subjects received RET while the other half of each class of subjects received Focusing. Key results include: Both classes of treatment subjects displayed significantly greater reductions (p .05) in stress levels after training as compared to waiting-list control subjects who had not received training over the same period of time. The main hypothesis was not supported. There were no statistically significant treatment by classification interactions. However, there were relationships between client satisfaction, use of the techniques, and decrease in reported levels of stress. Further analyses showed that none of the variables were significant predictors of outcome. This Study introduced Focusing as a viable stress management technique.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/7740 |
| Date | January 1992 |
| Creators | Weld, Suzanne Edna. |
| Contributors | Edwards, H. P., |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 274 p. |
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