Online stress management for self- and group-reflections on stress patterns

Abstract

In today’s society, many people suffer from unhealthy levels of stress. A result of being exposed to a lot of stressors for a longer period of time, and showing strong stress reactions to these, is decreased wellbeing and eventually sick leaves. To intervene at an early stage is therefore important. However, learning about one’s stress reactions and struggling for empowerment can be a challenge. Different types of applications for self-help are available on the Internet, but the ones for stress management are still in their early phase. In this article, we emphasize the social aspects of stress management. We present an artifact designed for analyzing and reflecting upon stress patterns, through both self- and group-reflections. This artifact is a result of further research work towards an integrated holistic stress management platform. The holistic platform includes a mobile application for storing data about events that cause stress reactions and a web-based system in which different actors and functions can complement each other, through self-help exercises, evidence-based information and learning through interaction with peers and experts. The research is based on traditional system development methods and interdisciplinary research in the area of e-health.