Differential Efficacy of Somatic and Educational Stress-Management Programs Across Two Samples

Abstract

This article presents an evaluation of a stress-management program and illustrates some of the difficulties of conducting clinical research. We compare, within two different samples, the efficacy of two stress-management programs, one with a somatic component only and one with both a somatic and an educational component. The outcome variables are diastolic blood pressure, situational anxiety, and attitudinal competency in stressful situations. At follow-up, findings indicated that the subjects generally maintained the therapeutic benefits acquired during treatment. Analysis of the pooled data of the two samples also revealed an increased competency in handling psychosocial stressors for those subjects who were taught both the somatic and the educational components of the stress-management program. Those who had learned only the somatic techniques showed no further improvement. The findings are critiqued, and means of overcoming some impediments to successful program evaluation in a clinical setting are proposed.