Self- Managing Emotional Stress:
A Systematic Review Of Training Programs
Combat-exposed troops and their family members are at risk for stress reactions and related disorders. Multimodal biopsychosocial training programs incorporating complementary and alternative self-management techniques have the potential to reduce stress related symptoms and dysfunction. Such training can preempt or attenuate the post traumatic stress response and may be effectively incorporated into the training cycle for deploying and redeploying troops and their families.
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A Systematic Review of Biopsychosocial Training Programs for the Self-Management of Emotional Stress: Potential Applications for the Military
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The study, published in 2013 in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, identified stress management skills trainings that build resilience, ease emotional stress and reset the body's control system that reacts to stress.
Samueli Institute's large systematic review analyzed 116 randomized control trials distilled from a pool of nearly 12,000 studies. Each study in the review pertained to a treatment program including two or more integrative modalities that addressed a range of physical and mental reactions to overwhelming stress—including post-traumatic stress response, depression and anxiety.
In 2016 Samueli Institute published a comprehensive report that included non-military applications of mind-body programs: "Biopsychosocial Training Programs for the Self-Management of Emotional Stress: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials." Download the report now.
Several training programs were recommended as feasible to incorporate into the training of troops and their families because of their high impact and minimal time and resources required. The treatment programs found to have a strong evidence- base and statistically significant evidence were mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive behavioral stress management, autogenic training, relaxation response training, and other mind-body skills.
“The self-management skills these programs teach may be especially helpful to those that are likely to refuse, delay, or feel stigmatized by conventional therapies,” said Samueli Institute Research Manager Cindy Crawford, the lead author. “Samueli Institute’s study identified promising programs that have a strong evidence base, contained very few to no adverse effects, and required minimal cost and training time.”
“It is time to focus our efforts on improved prevention and management of post-traumatic stress,” said Wayne B. Jonas, MD, President and CEO of Samueli Institute and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel. “Self-care programs in meditation, stress management and relaxation response training empower troops and their families by adding another tool to their home recovery battle kit.”
Systematic reviews are the highest standard of research because they synthesize the comprehensive body of research to determine the best available evidence for the effectiveness of a practice or treatment. Of the studies free from bias and of high quality, very few reported negative results.
The study in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine entitled “A Systematic Review of Biopsychosocial Training Programs for the Self-Management of Emotional Stress: Potential Applications for the Military” was authored by Cindy Crawford, Dawn B. Wallerstedt, Raheleh Khorsan, Shawn S, Clausen, Wayne B. Jonas, and Joan A. G. Walter.
The project was funded by the US Army Medical Research Award no. W8IXWH-08-1-0408. The views, opinions, and/or findings should not be construed as an official department of the Army position, policy, or decision unless so designated by other documentation.