The Effects of an Online Mind-Body Training Program on Stress, Coping Strategies, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience and Psychological State

<div><p>The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of an online mind-body training (MBT) program on participants’ stress, anger, coping strategies, emotional intelligence, resilience, and positive and negative affect. Forty-two healthy women participated in an online MBT program for approximately 8–10 minutes a day for 8 weeks; a control group of 45 healthy women did not participate in the program. Self-report psychological questionnaires were administered before the beginning of the program and at 4 and 8 weeks following its onset. Data from the MBT group and the control group were compared using repeated measures ANOVA and Student’s t-tests. Significant time x group interaction effects were found with respect to stress, coping strategies, anger, emotional intelligence, negative affect and resilience. These results demonstrate beneficial effects of the online MBT program and significant improvements in the psychological capabilities of participants compared with the control group. The effects of online MBT program were similar with those of the previous offline MBT in psychological aspects, suggesting further studies for neuroscientific evidence related stress and emotion of online MBT effects.</p></div

Change in emotional intelligence (A) and resilience (B) scores for the MBT and control groups across the 8 weeks.

<p>(A) Significant changes for 8 weeks in emotional intelligence (total score of 5 factors). (B) Significant changes for 8 weeks in resilience (total score of 5 factors). †: Tests of within-subjects effects (time x group). *: Tests of within-subjects of contrasts (time x group).</p

Change in total stress (A) and problem-solving coping (B) scores for the MBT and control groups across the 8 weeks.

<p>(A) Significant changes for 8 weeks in stress (total score of 7 factors). (B) Significant changes for 8 weeks in problem-solving coping. †: Tests of within-subjects effects (time x group). *: Tests of within-subjects of contrasts (time x group).</p

Differences in KOSS scale scores for the MBT and control groups at baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks.

<p>Differences in KOSS scale scores for the MBT and control groups at baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks.</p

Proposed model of the effects of MBT on perceived stress, coping strategies, emotional intelligence, and resilience.

<p>Proposed model of the effects of MBT on perceived stress, coping strategies, emotional intelligence, and resilience.</p

Correlations between emotional intelligence (8-week variations) and perceived stress (8-week variations) in each group.

<p>(A) A correlation between emotional intelligence (8-week variations) and perceived stress (8-week variations) in the MBT group. (B) A correlation between emotional intelligence and perceived stress (8-week variations) in the control group.</p

Correlations between job demand stress and perceived stress (SRI) in each group at baseline and in 8-week variations (scores subtracted baseline scores from 8-week scores).

<p>(A) A correlation between job demand stress and perceived stress (SRI) in the MBT group at baseline. (B) A correlation between job demand stress and perceived stress (SRI) in the control group at baseline. (C) A correlation between job demand stress (8-week variations) and perceived stress (8-week variations) in the MBT group. (D) A correlation between job demand stress (8-week variations) and perceived stress (8-week variations) in the control group.</p