The Physiological Reactions to Stress and Relaxation Among College Students
Stress is an unpleasant fact, but some stressors are more acute than others are and cause physiological discomfort to the individual. Physiological manifestation of stress includes elevated blood pressure, excessive sweating, insomnia, elevated blood sugar, headaches, ulcers and even diarrhea (Waseem, et.al, 2005). Stress however, is inevitable and thus it should be managed and coped with. There are situations that are more stressful than others are, and often cause anxiety and even panic that have clear physiological manifestations. The physiological responses to stress may hamper the ability of the individual in successfully performing tasks (Park Dongsoo, 2005). Thus, it is important to determine whether stress would significantly be reduced due to relaxation techniques. This research proposal outlines the examination of the physiological responses to stress of college students who are taking a course on Oral Communications and have to present a 5-minute speech to a live audience as their final exam. This research proposal outlines the details of the study, its theoretical framework, and the methods of the study and the predictions of the results of the study.
Background of the Study
Stressors abound in a students life there are the course requirements, exams, reports, papers, and classes to attend. Moreover, the need to do well in ones enrolled courses add pressure to the students stressors. Stress is said to be a positive force in that it motivates and drives the individual into action. Moderate amounts of stress and a positive coping mechanism would lessen the impact of stress to the body. However, when the stress is in excess, and when the individual cannot manage it effectively it becomes an acute source of stress. Acute stress would lead to psychosomatic conditions studies have found that acute stress has been linked to migraines, asthma, ulcers, diarrhea and hypertension (Park Dongsoo, 2005). The growing bodies of research on the effect of acute stress to the human body, stress have been considered as a primary source of health related conditions such as hypertension (Waseem, et.al, 2005). A medical condition called posttraumatic stress disorder is a condition wherein the chronic stress than the individual experiences concurrent with a traumatic experience. This condition affects the mental health of the individual and may lead to psychosis (Tecce, 2001).
On the other hand, a stressful situation may lead to anxiety and panic which may impair the ability of the individual to perform a task. Some of the most stressful and anxiety provoking activity is that of public speaking. Public speaking is a skill that should be mastered by students, as it is needed in most professions. However, not all students are able to master public speaking, which is why it is a core subject in most colleges. Public speaking is a terrifying experience for some, the ability to speak in front of an audience is inevitable since reports, presentations, and oral discussions are a staple of college education. It is an exercise that every student must hurdle in their college years, some public speaking experiences had become an embarrassing and traumatic for students, and the stress and anxiety that occurs during that day have caused physiological conditions including diarrhea, hyperventilation, shortness of breath and asthma (Park Dongsoo, 2005). There are certain physiological responses that are precursors to the more drastic bodily behaviors such as throwing up or diarrhea (Thomas, 1991). This could be elevated blood pressure, bodily temperature, sweat production and rapid heartbeat, which are all bodily responses that can be identified and controlled prior to the actual performance of the task (Pacak McCarty, 2007).
Relaxation techniques can be used to control the onset of anxiety when dealing with a stressful situation like that of public speaking. Relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, walking, mindfulness and meditation have been found to be effective in reducing the discomfort of postoperative pain, in calming an individual during elevated blood pressure and even in dealing with depression, anger and stress (Thomas, 1991). Relaxation techniques however takes practice and it is best done when facilitated by a relaxation leader. The use of music, aromatic oils and the dimming of lights can also help set the tone for the relaxation exercises.
This study would measure the physiologic responses of college students to stress. In this study, the stressor would be the knowledge of having to present a speech to a live audience. The measured physiologic responses would be blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature. The intervention method would be the relaxation exercise that the college students would do prior to the public speaking event. It is hypothesized that the physiological responses of the students to stress would be at a normal rate in students who had relaxation exercises than students who did not.
The following sections present and discuss the objectives of the study, the research methods and the experimental conditions. Lastly, a discussion of the predicted results would be included to demonstrate the feasibility of the research proposal and the importance of its findings. Certain limitations of the study are also offered.
Objectives of the Study
This study of the physiological measures of stress and relaxation of college students would test the hypothesis that relaxation exercises can lower the physiological responses to stress and thereby prevent anxiety and tension that would hamper the performance of the individual on a task. This would provide information on the effectiveness of relaxation techniques to mediate the effects of stress to the body. Such information would enrich the knowledge and literature on stress and relaxation and even in public speaking as the identified stressor in this study (Bechtereva, 2009).
Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that the stress would result to elevated blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature wherein the control group would exhibit higher than normal readings. It is also hypothesized that the relaxation exercises would lead to lowered blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature, which will be near, or equal to normal readings. Lastly, it is hypothesized that there will be a difference in the physiological reactions between the control and experimental group wherein it is expected that the experimental group would have lower blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature than the control group.
Methods
The present study on the physiological measures of stress and relaxation of college students during a public speaking event would be using quantitative and experimental methods and design. This study is quantitative in nature since the data will be the blood pressure rate, pulse rate and body temperature. The said measures are subtle bodily reactions to stress and which is targeted by relaxation techniques. The analysis of the measured rates would comprise the results and findings of the proposed study.
This study will be a true experimental study, there will be two groups, a control and an experimental group, and college students taking Oral Communication classes will be randomly assigned to each of the two groups. However, the study will be conducted outside of the laboratory, and the only manipulation will be the delivery of relaxation exercises to the experimental group. It is hypothesized that the experimental condition would lower the physiologic reactions to stress.
Participants
The participants of the study will be 40 college students enrolled in a Oral Communications course. The final exam of students in this course is the delivery of a 5-minute speech to all the students enrolled in the same course. Forty students will be picked randomly, who are waiting for their turn to present their speech. The forty students however must not be in the group of the first 20 presenters to give them time to participate in the study. This can be identified ahead of time since the order of presenters will be predetermined. Year level, major and gender will be identified but for classification and comparison purposes only. Twenty of the participants will be assigned to the control group and the other twenty will be assigned to the experimental group.
Measures
The blood pressure of the participants in the experiment will be measured using an automatic digital blood pressure monitor. This equipment comes with an armband that will be placed in the upper arm of the student and fastened securely a cohort will then press the start button and wait for the machine to flash the measured blood pressure. The cohort will then record the reading into a data collection sheet.
The pulse rate will be taken right after the blood pressure of the participant. This will be measured using a digital heart rate monitor. The monitor will be operated by another cohort, it comes with an attachment that can be placed either at the fingertips of the index finger or the earlobes of the participants. For uniformity, it will be placed at the index finger. The cohort will then press the start button and wait for the machine to flash the heart rate. The value will then be recorded in a data collection sheet.
The body temperature of the participants will be taken last, and will be measured using a digital thermometer. The cohort will make sure that the digital temperature is set to zero and then place it in the axilla of the participant and wait for the thermometer to bleep. The resulting temperature will then be recorded in a data collection sheet. The unit used for the temperature will be centigrade Celsius.
Procedure
There will be two groups of participants in this study and they will receive different experimental conditions, this will be discussed in detail in the following sections. Generally, the researcher will seek permission from the Oral Communications instructors and the college to conduct the said experiment. After permission has been obtained, the researcher will then randomly pick the 40 participants of the study from a predetermined list of the speech presenters. The participants will be chosen using the fish bowl technique. The identified participants will then be listed, a buffer of 10 participants will also be chosen in case a participant does not show up for the event. The researcher will then call the identified participants and ask them to proceed to another room. The impression will be that the students will be placed in a holding room since they will be the next to perform.
When the group is in the room, they will be asked to count off in twos and all ones were grouped together while all twos were also grouped. Group 1 will then be the control group and Group 2 will then be the experimental group. The experimental group will then be lead to another room. The remaining 20 participants will then be given the cover story that any of them will be the next presenter and that their blood pressure, pulse rate and temperature will be measured as part of the requirements of the course before allowing any student to go on stage. Then they will be instructed to form three lines and each line will approach the three tables with the cohorts who will measure their physiological responses. The participants will only be allowed to leave the room after all of them had been measured.
The other 20 participants will be asked to go to another room. Upon entering the room, the participants are asked to form four lines. Then a cohort will announce that the participants will be learning some relaxation techniques to help them deliver their speeches. The participants will then be asked to follow the instructions of the facilitator. The relaxation techniques will be deep breathing and guided meditation. Then at the start of the exercises, the lights will be dimmed and soft music will be played in the background. The relaxation exercises will last for about 10 minutes. After the exercises, the cohort will announce that the group will be the next batch of presenters. The participants will be asked to approach the three cohorts to have their blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature measured.
After the said conditions, the participants will be asked to wait for their turn and to present their speeches. After all of the students have presented their speech, the participants will then be called to stay in one place and the researcher will conduct the debriefing. The debriefing will give the participants information on the experiment they have just participated. The participants will be asked to give their informed consent and sign the necessary form. If the participants would want to be excluded from the study, their measured physiological reactions would be excluded from the data analysis. Ethical standards in the conduct of experiments involving human subjects necessitate the need for informed consent and deception is permitted in instances when prior knowledge of the conditions of the experiment would significantly affect the behavior that is being studied. Since this study measured stress and relaxation through physiologic reactions, the knowledge of the experimental conditions might have not elicited the reactions to stress and relaxation which this study hopes to measure. The participants will then be given extra credit in their oral communications grade.
Experimental Conditions
There will be two conditions in this experiment, the control group would not be given any treatment while the experimental group would be given the relaxation exercises. In the control group, it will be emphasized that the group will be the next batch of presenters thereby creating the stressor in the situation. The participants in the control group are expected to become stressed and the knowledge of the impending public speaking task would create further anxiety and discomfort. The physiologic reactions to the presence of the stressor would be measured through the blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature.
The experimental group will be given the treatment condition which is the relaxation exercises. The relaxation exercises will be deep breathing and guided meditation. The procedure will be discussed in the preceding paragraphs. However, prior to the relaxation techniques, the participants will also be informed that they will be the next presenter to create the conditions of stress and the knowledge of being the next speaker will cause discomfort and stress. After the relaxation techniques, the knowledge of the impending public speaking exercise will be reinforced to ensure that the awareness of the stress is still present. The physiological measurements of the reactions of the participants to stress following the relaxation exercises will then be taken.
Relaxation Exercise
The relaxation facilitator will be leading the participants in the relaxation exercises. The first one is deep breathing. In addition, the second one is the guided meditation. The facilitator has to read the following instructions, and allow the participants about 30 seconds for each instruction to be followed by the participants. The facilitator must maintain a calm, soothing, and monotonous voice. The instructions should be repeated successively thrice.
Deep Breathing Exercise
Stand erect, head up, eyes front, shoulders back, knees stiff, hands at sides.
Raise body slowly on toes, inhaling a complete breath (filling the lungs with air) steadily and slowly.
Retain the breath for a few seconds, maintaining the same position.
Slowly sink to the first position, at the same time slowly exhaling the air through the nostrils until all the air in the lungs had been exhaled.
Now shake your body, feel the shake move from the body to your arms and legs, then to your feet and ankles, shake everything and stand still.
Now let us do it again. (Repeat 3 times)
Guided Meditation
Sit quietly in a relaxed and easy position. Find the most comfortable position for you.
Withdraw the mind as far as possible from outside objects and rid your thoughts of your concerns and problems.
Let your thoughts reach inward and dwell upon the real self.
Think of yourself as independent of the body and as able to leave it without impairing it.
You are now gradually feeling rested, calm and content.
Think of yourself as a mere speck in the great universe. Floating and flying in space.
You have no worries and concerns and you are refreshed.
You will now awake and be strengthened.
Data Analysis
The variables measured in this study will be the physiological measures of blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature. The gathered data will then be analyzed using the statistical software SPSS version 17. The data will be entered in the data sheet and subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive analysis will determine the mean and variation of the physiological measures. This would provide a general profile of the physiological responses of the participants for the control and experimental groups. The inferential statistics would be used to test the hypothesis of the present study. Independent t-tests would be used for each of the three variables, the mean scores of the variables for the control and experimental groups will be compared to determine if there is a difference between the groups. The analysis would also test the hypothesis that students with the relaxation exercises had lower physiological response rates. Moreover, said physiological measures will be compared to existing medical standards for normal blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature.
Findings
The analysis of the physiological responses is predicted to generate data that would indicate that the knowledge of a stressful task would increase the blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature of the participants more than the normal levels. Previous research have reported that physiological responses such as increased heart rate, excessive sweating and increased breathing are indicative of bodily reactions to stress. The long term exposure to stress and the constant increase in blood pressure and heart rate puts the body under duress and is detrimental to the overall health of the body (Mangina, 1997). The body functions at a normal rate that is just right for the body, but when the body has to work more than its capacity for extended periods would wore the body and lessen the immunity and the functioning of the body (Isowa, Ohira Murashima, 2003). For example, workers who work on graveyard shifts were found to have higher incidence of hypertension and obesity than those who work regular day shifts.
It is also expected that there will be a difference of mean values between the control and experimental group wherein the experimental group would have lower readings in the blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature of the participants. The experimental conditions is the relaxation exercises and is expected to decrease the readings of blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature near or equal to normal levels. The relaxation exercises have been found to reduce the discomfort of postoperative pain and panic attacks (Thomas, 1991). Relaxation exercises also provide the body with needed rest and would energize the body. The calming effect of relaxation techniques would help lower the pulse rate, blood pressure and body temperature (Friedman, Domar Benson, 1989).
However, the expected results may also not come to reality since the effects of stress and relaxation may not be strong enough to elicit the expected physiological responses since public speaking may not be a strong enough stressor for the participants. Moreover, the physiological reactions measured in the study may also be manifested in other conditions other than stress such as emotional arousal or fear (Lang, Davis Ohman, 2000). The experimental conditions are also not optimally controlled since the experiment is conducted in the actual oral communications event where the presence of others, the mastery of the speech and previous experiences cannot be accounted. Lastly, the results may be influenced by human variation, for example, normal blood pressure rates for young adults may be at 12080 but blood pressure baseline is relative. It may be lower or above the normal range, hence if the person has a baseline blood pressure of 10080, an increase of less than 20 points would not be interpreted as above normal. Nevertheless, it will be a significant increase for that individual and may actually cause symptoms of elevated blood pressure such as headaches and dizziness (Tecce, 2001). This may be true for the other physiological measures, the pulse rate and the body temperature.
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