Stress reduction intervention for preventive medicine students in Vietnam’s limited resources setting

Abstract

Introduction. Implementing stress reduction approaches for high-risk students may reduce the negative effects on academic performance, social relationships, and health. Most existing research on intervention showed the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) with strict study designs but has not examined the impact in a real-life setting. The objective of the study was to identify the factors associated with stress level and the effectiveness of intervention using MBSR. Material and methods. A mixed-methods study consisting of a cross-sectional study in 362 students (Phase 1) and intervention in 115 students with moderate and severe stress levels (Phase 2). The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was used to assess participants' stress levels and evaluate the outcome of the intervention. Results. The online MBSR effectively reduced stress in students with moderate and severe stress levels after two months of intervention. MBSR was associated with a statistically significant reduction in stress, with 63.48% of cases showing reduced stress levels, and a group reduction in stress score of 5.97 with a 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.96 to 6.96, (p=0.008). The logistic regression model showed that being a woman, disagreeing with parents, having a loved one with a severe illness, ending a relationship, and financial trouble were factors associated with moderate and severe stress. Conclusions. Delivering MBSR was associated with an improvement in stress status with a significant reduction in stress scores among students. These findings provide evidence that future research is necessary to design tailored strategies for coping with stress in academic environments.