Impact of mind-body skills on outcomes of stress and anger management educational programs: A rapid evidence assessment (REAL©) of the literature

PURPOSE: Learning effective coping mechanisms for stress is an integral aspect of building psychological resilience. While many different types of stress and anger management educational programs exist, the specific components that most favorably impact stress and/ or anger outcomes have not been well-characterized. Using the Rapid Evidence Assessment of the Literature (REAL©) process, we conducted a systematic review to determine the impact of different types of programs on psychological stress and/or anger outcomes. Of particular interest was if there were differential effects based on four categories of programmatic content (i.e. didactic only, didactic + mind-body skills, didactic + additional modalities, didactic + additional modalities + mind-body skills). METHODS: Randomized Controlled Trials were searched across multiple databases. Inclusion criteria included: (1) in-person educational information provided on psychological stress and/or anger management, (2) mind-body skills (if included) were restricted to breathing, yoga, meditation, p.m.r, guided imagery, or general relaxation techniques, and (3) results reported on: stress, distress, anxiety, tension, coping, PTSD, burnout, anger, social competency, QOL, decision-making, risk-taking, communication, self-efficacy, or resilience. Methodological quality was assessed using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) 50 criteria for RCT designs. RESULTS: The initial search produced 537 citations, of which 45 met the inclusion criteria. There were 15 didactic-only programs, 18 didactic information + mind-body skills, 2 didactic information + additional modalities programs, and 10 with didactic information + mind-body skills + additional modalities. This presentation will focus on the results of this review, describe the quality of the studies, and characterize which categories of programs had the greatest impact on stress and anger outcomes.