Stress Management in Honors Students: Findings From a Biofeedback Study

Abstract

Stress and anxiety are pervasive concerns among American college students, posing detrimental effects to their well-being and academic performance. Physiologically based stress management programs have proven effective within university settings; however, limited research has investigated the impact of such interventions on university honors students. One promising tool is electrodermal biofeedback, which utilizes electrodermal activity as an indicator of psychophysiological stress-related phenomena. To address this research gap, we conducted a pre–post comparison electrodermal biofeedback intervention study involving five honors students. Across 18 time points, we recorded a total of 81 stress response control measurements per participant. Over a 6-week period, participants learned to control electrodermal activity, heart rate variability, and peripheral temperature. Visual analysis of the data revealed improved averages and trendlines in physiological stress response control for all five students, with an average effect size of d = 0.74. Moreover, participants demonstrated better average physiological stress response control post-treatment compared with pretreatment.