Stress reduction through psychoeducation: a meta-analytic review
Psychoeducation is one of the most widely used formats for stress management, but how effective is it really? This meta-analytic review synthesises the evidence across studies, examining effect sizes and moderators to give a clearer picture of when and for whom psychoeducational stress reduction works. A useful reference for practitioners, educators, and policy makers considering group-based stress programmes.
Abstract
The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of psychoeducational interventions in reducing stress and to gain more insight in determining features moderating the magnitude of effects. Relevant studies were selected from 1990 to 2010 and were included according to predetermined criteria. For each study, the standardized mean difference was calculated for the outcome measure primarily related to stress. Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria; for 16 studies, a standardized mean difference could be calculated. The average effect size was .27 (95% confidence interval = [.14, .40]) at posttest and .20 (95% confidence interval = [−.04, .43]) at follow-up. To determine possible moderators of intervention effects, all 19 studies were included. Only interventions that were shorter in duration provided better results. When a model with multiple moderators was considered, a model combining both intervention duration and the number of women in an intervention was significant and accounted for 42% of the variability found in the data set. Specifically, interventions with more women that were shorter in duration obtained better results.
Keywords: psychoeducation, stress reduction, meta-analysis, group intervention, effectiveness
Read more
Reference
Van Daele, T., Hermans, D., Van Audenhove, C., & Van den Bergh, O. (2012). Stress reduction through psychoeducation: a meta-analytic review. Health Education & Behavior, 39, 474–485. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198111419202