The effects of biofeedback plus progressive relaxation on the emotional well-being of college students

Abstract

This causal-comparative study examined the effects of biofeedback plus progressive relaxation training on the emotional well-being of college students. A undergraduate/graduate class (Course 459-509: Introduction to Biofeedback) required students to take approximately ten weekly Biofeedback hook-ups and ten weeks of daily Progressive Relaxation training. The students in this class were invited to voluntarily take pre and post tests on psychological measurements to see if any change had taken place over the course of the semester. The instruments used were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Fourteen of the twenty-two students in the course volunteered to participate in the study. The data from the pretests at the beginning of the semester were compared to the data from the posttests at the end of the semester. The statistical analysis used was a "t" test comparison at the .05 significance level. The dependent scales used in this study were State/trait anxiety (two separate parts) and the POMS, which consisted of tension-anxiety, depression-dejection, anger-hostility, vigor-activity, fatigue-inertia, confusion-bewilderment, and POMS total. Six of the nine scales examined proved to be statistically significant beyond the .05 level. These included state anxiety, trait anxiety, depression-dejection, vigor-activity, confusion-bewilderment, and the POMS total. These results indicated that biofeedback combined with progressive relaxation have positive effects on the emotional well-being of college students.