Effectiveness of training programs based on mindfulness in reducing psychological distress and promoting well-being in medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Medical schools have used mindfulness meditation as a strategy to assist students in stress management. This study aimed to seek evidence regarding the effectiveness of mindfulness-based training programs in reducing psychological distress and promoting the well-being of medical students. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO/PsycNet, LILACS/BVS, ERIC (ProQuest), Web of Science, OpenGrey, and Google Scholar were searched for randomized clinical trials published until March 2022, without time or language restrictions. Two authors independently screened the articles, extracted data using a standardized extraction form, and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using the Cochrane's Risk of Bias 2 (ROB 2) tool and the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) tool. RESULTS: Of the 848 articles retrieved, 8 met the inclusion criteria. Mindfulness-based training improved the outcomes: mindfulness (small post-intervention effect: SMD = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.54; p = 0.03; I2 = 46%; high evidence quality, and small effect at follow-up: SMD = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.70; p = 0.03; I2 = 53%; low evidence quality), psychological well-being/health (there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in the post-intervention effect: SMD = - 0.27; 95% CI: - 0.67 to 0.13; p = 0.18; I2 = 76%; moderate evidence quality, and a significant difference at follow-up: SMD = - 0.73; 95% CI: - 1.23 to - 0.23; p = 0.004; I2 = 61%; low evidence quality), and stress (small post-intervention effect: SMD = - 0.29; CI of 95%: - 0.56 to - 0.02; p = 0.04; I2 = 57%; moderate evidence quality, and moderate effect at follow-up: SMD = - 0.45, 95% CI: - 0.67 to - 0.22, p = 0.0001, I2 = 0%, moderate evidence quality). The quality of evidence for the anxiety, depression, and resilience outcomes is low and for the empathy outcome, very low. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the students who participated in the mindfulness training perceived improvements in the stress and psychological distress symptoms and improved health perception and psychological well-being. However, the significant heterogeneity among studies should be considered when interpreting these findings. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42020153169.

Measuring the Effectiveness of a Multicomponent Program to Manage Academic Stress through a Resilience to Stress Index.

In this work, we evaluate the effectiveness of a multicomponent program that includes psychoeducation in academic stress, mindfulness training, and biofeedback-assisted mindfulness, while enhancing the Resilience to Stress Index (RSI) of students through the control of autonomic recovery from psychological stress. Participants are university students enrolled in a program of excellence and are granted an academic scholarship. The dataset consists of an intentional sample of 38 undergraduate students with high academic performance, 71% (27) women, 29% (11) men, and 0% (0) non-binary, with an average age of 20 years. The group belongs to the "Leaders of Tomorrow" scholarship program from Tecnológico de Monterrey University, in Mexico. The program is structured in 16 individual sessions during an eight-week period, divided into three phases: pre-test evaluation, training program, and post-test evaluation. During the evaluation test, an assessment of the psychophysiological stress profile is performed while the participants undergo a stress test; it includes simultaneous recording of skin conductance, breathing rate, blood volume pulse, heart rate, and heart rate variability. Based on the pre-test and post-test psychophysiological variables, an RSI is computed under the assumption that changes in physiological signals due to stress can be compared against a calibration stage. The results show that approximately 66% of the participants improved their academic stress management after the multicomponent intervention program. A Welch's t-test showed a difference in mean RSI scores (t = -2.30, p = 0.025) between the pre-test and post-test phases. Our findings show that the multicomponent program promoted positive changes in the RSI and in the management of the psychophysiological responses to academic stress.

A Seaweed Extract-Based Biostimulant Mitigates Drought Stress in Sugarcane.

Drought is one of the most important abiotic stresses responsible for reduced crop yields. Drought stress induces morphological and physiological changes in plants and severely impacts plant metabolism due to cellular oxidative stress, even in C4 crops, such as sugarcane. Seaweed extract-based biostimulants can mitigate negative plant responses caused by drought stress. However, the effects of foliar application of such biostimulants on sugarcane exposed to drought stress, particularly on plant metabolism, stalk and sugar yields, juice purity, and sugarcane technological quality, have received little attention. Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of foliar application of a seaweed extract-based biostimulant on late-harvest sugarcane during the driest period of the year. Three experiments were implemented in commercial sugarcane fields in Brazil in the 2018 (site 1), 2019 (site 2), and 2020 (site 3) harvest seasons. The treatments consisted of the application and no application of seaweed extract (SWE) as a foliar biostimulant in June (sites 2 and 3) or July (site 1). The treatments were applied to the fourth ratoon of sugarcane variety RB855536 at site 1 and the fifth and third ratoons of sugarcane variety SP803290 at sites 2 and 3, respectively. SWE was applied at a dose of 500 ml a.i. ha-1 in a water volume of 100 L ha-1. SWE mitigated the negative effects of drought stress and increased stalk yield per hectare by up to 3.08 Mg ha-1. In addition, SWE increased stalk sucrose accumulation, resulting in an increase in sugar yield of 3.4 kg Mg-1 per hectare and higher industrial quality of the raw material. In SWE-treated plants, Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity and antioxidant enzyme activity increased, while malondialdehyde (MDA) levels decreased. Leaf analysis showed that SWE application efficiently improved metabolic activity, as evidenced by a decrease in carbohydrate reserve levels in leaves and an increase in total sugars. By positively stabilizing the plant's cellular redox balance, SWE increased biomass production, resulting in an increase in energy generation. Thus, foliar SWE application can alleviate drought stress while enhancing sugarcane development, stalk yield, sugar production, and plant physiological and enzymatic processes.

Addressing psychosocial work-related stress interventions: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Work-related stress can be defined as an individual's reactions to work characteristics and indicates a poor relationship between coping abilities and work environment. If unmanaged, stress can impact mental and physical health (e.g., causing depression and cardiovascular disease). Many individuals use maladaptive stress-coping strategies, such as sedentary activities, unhealthy eating behaviors, and alcohol consumption, which do not contribute to long-term stress management. In contrast, stress reduction programs can help people manage and effectively reduce stress in the long term. OBJECTIVE: To gather the state of the art of work-related stress interventions, their efficacy and applications. METHOD: The PsycINFO and EBSCOHost databases were used. The search was carried out between January 28 and March 30, 2019. Inclusion criteria were full text available, text in English or Spanish and a study population comprising workers. RESULTS: Twenty-nine articles that included interventions involving aromatherapy, bibliotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, exercise, alternative medicine, mindfulness, technology, stress management and sensory intervention were analyzed. The interventions showed significant reductions in stress, anxiety, depression and burnout; however, most of the studies were not based on specific stress models, and control groups often received no intervention whatsoever. As a result, it is challenging to draw conclusions regarding the success of the interventions, especially if they are novel. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that there is a broad portfolio of successful interventions regarding work-related stress. Most of the successful interventions were based on mindfulness; however, aerobic exercise and bibliotherapy may also be successful. The structure and level of evidence appear to be very relevant to the development of a successful intervention.

What Are We Measuring When We Evaluate Digital Interventions for Improving Lifestyle? A Scoping Meta-Review.

Background: Lifestyle Medicine (LM) aims to address six main behavioral domains: diet/nutrition, substance use (SU), physical activity (PA), social relationships, stress management, and sleep. Digital Health Interventions (DHIs) have been used to improve these domains. However, there is no consensus on how to measure lifestyle and its intermediate outcomes aside from measuring each behavior separately. We aimed to describe (1) the most frequent lifestyle domains addressed by DHIs, (2) the most frequent outcomes used to measure lifestyle changes, and (3) the most frequent DHI delivery methods. Methods: We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA-ScR) Extension for Scoping Reviews. A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science for publications since 2010. We included systematic reviews and meta-analyses of clinical trials using DHI to promote health, behavioral, or lifestyle change. Results: Overall, 954 records were identified, and 72 systematic reviews were included. Of those, 35 conducted meta-analyses, 58 addressed diet/nutrition, and 60 focused on PA. Only one systematic review evaluated all six lifestyle domains simultaneously; 1 systematic review evaluated five lifestyle domains; 5 systematic reviews evaluated 4 lifestyle domains; 14 systematic reviews evaluated 3 lifestyle domains; and the remaining 52 systematic reviews evaluated only one or two domains. The most frequently evaluated domains were diet/nutrition and PA. The most frequent DHI delivery methods were smartphone apps and websites. Discussion: The concept of lifestyle is still unclear and fragmented, making it hard to evaluate the complex interconnections of unhealthy behaviors, and their impact on health. Clarifying this concept, refining its operationalization, and defining the reporting guidelines should be considered as the current research priorities. DHIs have the potential to improve lifestyle at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention-but most of them are targeting clinical populations. Although important advances have been made to evaluate DHIs, some of their characteristics, such as the rate at which they become obsolete, will require innovative research designs to evaluate long-term outcomes in health.

A contemporary neuroscience approach compared to biomedically focused education combined with symptom-contingent exercise therapy in people with chronic whiplash associated disorders: a randomized controlled trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: To address the need for a better treatment of chronic whiplash associated disorders (WAD), a contemporary neuroscience approach can be proposed. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of a contemporary neuroscience approach, comprising pain neuroscience education, stress management, and cognition-targeted exercise therapy versus conventional physical therapy for reducing disability (primary outcome measure) and improving quality of life and reducing pain, central sensitization, and psychological problems (secondary outcome measures) in people with chronic WAD. METHODS: The study is a multi-center, two-arm randomized, controlled trial with 1-year follow-up and will be performed in two university-based and one regional hospital. People with chronic WAD (n=120) will be recruited. The experimental group will receive pain neuroscience education followed by cognition-targeted exercise therapy, and stress management. The control group will receive biomedically focused education followed by graded and active exercise therapy focusing on muscle endurance, strength, and flexibility, and ergonomic principles. The treatment will have a duration of 16 weeks. Functional status (Neck Disability Index) is the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures include quality of life, pain, central sensitization, and psychological and socio-economic factors. In addition, electroencephalography will measure brain activity at rest and during a conditioned pain modulation paradigm. Assessments will take place at baseline, immediately post-treatment and at 6 and 12 months follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This study will examine whether a contemporary neuroscience approach is superior over conventional physical therapy for improving functioning, quality of life, and reducing pain, central sensitization, and psychological problems in people with chronic WAD.

How a School Nurse Can Reduce Student Stress Using Systems-Level Thinking.

School nurses are essential members of the school community. Their ability to collaborate with other school team members promotes a system's approach to the identification and management of students' mental health thereby promoting students' academic success. By enhancing the students' abilities to cope with the long-term impacts of chronic medical conditions as well as academic stress and other contributing factors that affect their mental health, school nurses are in a unique position to positively affect the long-term health of students. This article is the fourth in a series focusing on the Framework for the 21st Century School Nursing PracticeTM (Framework) and describes the practice component of systems-level leadership, in the principle of Leadership. This article describes the process to institute systematic change after identifying a need to improve nursing care for the students who frequented the health office for mental health issues during the school year. While utilizing the National Association of School Nurses' (NASN) Framework, this nurse created a program to address the mental health needs of the students while focusing on the essential selfmanagement and self-awareness skills required to manage and cope with the stress of childhood today.

Sleep Quality and the Mediating Role of Stress Management on Eating by Nursing Personnel.

(1) Background: The work schedule of nursing personnel often involves double or continuous shifts and sources of stress derived from the work context, making it necessary to ensure their rest and eating habits contribute to a healthy lifestyle. The objective of this study was to analyze the mediating role of stress management on the effect that sleep quality has on uncontrolled and emotional eating by nursing professionals. The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18 was applied to measure uncontrolled and emotional eating, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index as a measure of sleep quality, and the EQ-i-20M for the stress management component of emotional intelligence. (2) Methods: A sample of 1073 nurses aged 22 to 57 years was selected for this purpose. (3) Results: The main result of this study was that stress management was a mediator in the effect of sleep quality on uncontrolled and emotional eating. Furthermore, low scores for sleeping problems correlated with high scores for stress management. The results also revealed a strong negative association between stress management and uncontrolled and emotional eating. (4) Conclusions: The results are discussed from the perspective of promoting health at work as well as improving the psychosocial wellbeing of nursing professionals and increasing the quality of patient care.

Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management intervention in Mexican colorectal cancer patients: Pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Determine the feasibility and the preliminary effects of brief cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention, compared with psychoeducation (PE) group in posttraumatic stress, distress, optimism, and quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS: Ninety-four patients were randomized: 40 in CBSM intervention and 54 in PE. They answered psychological questionnaires before and after the intervention and 3 months later for follow-up. RESULTS: Of the included participants, 23.40% (22) completed the sessions (11 in each group). A significant effect was obtained in the variable of optimism F2,28  = 4.0, P = 0.03, ƞ2p  = 0.22 and a significant interaction effect between the groups in the avoidance behavior F2,28  = 6.0, P = 0.01, ƞ2p  = 0.30 and hyperactivation F2,30  = 3.91, P = 0.03, ƞ2p  = 0.20, with a large effect size in both. A significant interaction effect was found in the quality of life symptoms subscale for patients with colorectal cancer with a stoma F3,20  = 21.8, P = 0.00, ƞ2p  = 0.68. CONCLUSIONS: The CBSM intervention and PE are feasible therapies, albeit with some modifications. Preliminary effects are observed in the dimensions of posttraumatic stress and symptoms of quality of life.

The Uptake and Metabolism of Amino Acids, and Their Unique Role in the Biology of Pathogenic Trypanosomatids.

Trypanosoma brucei, as well as Trypanosoma cruzi and more than 20 species of the genus Leishmania, form a group of flagellated protists that threaten human health. These organisms are transmitted by insects that, together with mammals, are their natural hosts. This implies that during their life cycles each of them faces environments with different physical, chemical, biochemical, and biological characteristics. In this work we review how amino acids are obtained from such environments, how they are metabolized, and how they and some of their intermediate metabolites are used as a survival toolbox to cope with the different conditions in which these parasites should establish the infections in the insects and mammalian hosts.

The VIII International Congress on Stress Proteins in Biology and Medicine: täynnä henkeä.

About 150 international scientists gathered in Turku, Finland, in August of 2017 for the eighth in a series of international congresses about the roles of stress proteins in biology and medicine. The scientific theme and title of the 2017 Congress was "Stress Management Mechanisms and Pathways." The meeting covered a broad range of topics, reflecting the wide scope of the Cell Stress Society International (CSSI) and highlighting the numerous recent breakthroughs in stress response biology and medicine. The keynote lecturers included Marja Jäättelä, Richard Morimoto, Anne Bertolotti, and Peter Walter. The Executive Council of the CSSI elected new Fellows and Senior Fellows. The Spirit of Budapest Award was presented to Peter Csermely, Wolfgang Schumann, and Subhash Lakhotia in recognition of pioneering service contributions to the CSSI. The CSSI Medallion for Career Achievement was awarded to Larry Hightower and CSSI president Gabriella Santoro proclaimed Tuesday, August 15, 2017, Robert M. Tanguay Day at the congress in recognition of Robert's many years of scientific accomplishment and work on behalf of the CSSI. Additional special events were the awarding of the Ferruccio Ritossa Early Career Award to Serena Carra and the Alfred Tissières Young Investigator Award to Ayesha Murshid. As is the tradition at CSSI congresses, there were social events that included an exciting piano performance by a trio of young Finnish pianists, at the Sibelius Museum.

A relação entre a satisfação no trabalho com a saúde do trabalhador: um estudo em uma cooperativa de crédito / The relationship between satisfaction in the work with worker's health: a study in a credit cooperative

Pesquisas demonstram uma diminuição do envolvimento afetivo do colaborador em seus afazeres, assim como uma redução de sua capacidade em encontrar significado naquilo que faz. Esta situação determina geralmente uma queda na qualidade nos serviços realizados pelo trabalhador potencializado sua insatisfação com o trabalho. Este cenário negativo relacionado ao contexto do trabalho tem favorecido a diminuição da saúde emocional no trabalho e a ocorrência de um número significativo de doenças e síndromes como: hipertensão arterial, diabetes, depressão maior e síndrome do burnout. Outro fator significativo é a relação entre a satisfação no trabalho com a saúde do trabalhador, visto que com o aumento do nível de insatisfação no trabalho aumenta utilização de remédios, álcool e drogas por parte dos empregados. Essa insatisfação originada na imposição de realizar uma função sem significado e não envolvente para o funcionário, e principalmente pelo fato do colaborador não saber a utilidade do seu trabalho para toda a organização. Isto ocasiona no colaborador um sentimento de desvalorização, tanto com relação à remuneração quanto com relação à oportunidade de desenvolver suas habilidades, autonomia e responsabilidades na empresa. No presente trabalho, destacam-se aspectos pertinentes ao tema satisfação no ambiente de trabalho. Este estudo tem como objetivo a mensuração do nível de satisfação dos colaboradores de uma cooperativa de crédito, por meio da identificação de variáveis relacionadas à satisfação/insatisfação no ambiente de trabalho.

Research shows a decrease in the emotional involvement of employees in their business, as well as a reduction in their ability to find meaning in what they do. This usually causes a drop in the quality of services performed by the worker potentiated their dissatisfaction with the work. This negative scenario related to the work context has favored the decrease in emotional health at work and the occurrence of a significant number of diseases and syndromes such as hypertension, diabetes, major depression and burnout syndrome. Another significant factor is the relationship between job satisfaction with workers' health, as with increasing dissatisfaction level at work increased use of drugs, alcohol and drugs by employees. This dissatisfaction originated in imposing perform a meaningless function and not engaging for the employee, and mainly because the developer does not know the usefulness of its work for the entire organization. This causes the employee a feeling of worthlessness, both with respect to compensation and regarding the opportunity to develop their skills, autonomy and responsibilities in the company. In this paper, we highlight aspects relevant to the topic satisfaction in the workplace. This study aims to measure the level of satisfaction of employees of a credit union, through the identification of variables related to satisfaction / dissatisfaction in the workplace.

Avaliação de treino de controle do stress para mães de crianças com transtornos do espectro autista / Stress control training assessment for mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders

ResumoO diagnóstico de transtorno do espectro autista (TEA) em filhos tem sido descrito na literatura como razão de excessivo stress em suas mães. Como o Treino de Controle do Stress (TCS) de Lipp, já foi adaptado com êxito para o atendimento de diversas populações de diferentes faixas etárias, o objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a eficácia de uma adaptação do TCS para mães de crianças com TEA (TCS-MTEA) na redução do stress desta população. Para isto comparou-se a presença e níveis de stress de vinte participantes, na faixa etária entre 20 e 50 anos, sendo dez submetidas a esta intervenção individual configurando uma amostra experimental (AE) e outras dez que tiveram apenas níveis de stress avaliados no mesmo intervalo de tempo, configurando uma amostra controle (AC). As vinte participantes foram avaliadas antes e após o treino com o Inventário de Sintomas de Stress para Adultos de Lipp. Ao final da intervenção das dez participantes estressadas inicialmente na AE, sete estavam sem stress (70%) e as outras três apresentaram redução do nível de stress (30%) enquanto as dez da AC (100%) continuavam estressadas. Conclui-se que o TCS-MTEA foi eficaz na redução do stress das participantes da AE. (AU)

AbstractThe diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a child has been described in literature as associated to excessive stress in their mothers. As the Lipp Stress Control Training (referred to locally as TCS) has been successfully adapted for the care of diverse populations of different ages, the aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an adaptation of TCS for mothers of children with ASD (referred to locally as TCS-MTEA) in reducing stress in this population. For this, the presence and levels of stress of twenty participants aged between 20 and 50 years was compared. Ten individuals were submitted to individual training, configuring an experimental sample (ES) and ten only had stress levels evaluated in the same time interval, configuring a control sample (CS). The twenty participants were assessed before and after training with the Lipp Stress Symptoms Inventory. After the intervention, among the ten ES participants initially stressed, seven were without stress (70%) and the other three had the level of stress reduced (30%) while the ten CS participants (100%) remained stressed. The study concluded that the TCS-MTEA was effective in reducing the stress of the ES participants. (AU)

Hair cortisol: A new tool for evaluating stress in programs of stress management.

AIMS: Longitudinal and experimental studies have shown that chronic stress contributes to the onset and progression of different diseases. Although it is not possible to eliminate stress completely, people can learn to manage it by participating in different kinds of stress management interventions. This study examined the effectiveness of stress management interventions on neuroendocrine responses in stressed students and health professionals, by measuring hair cortisol in comparison to salivary cortisol. MAIN METHODS: Salivary and hair cortisol measurements were performed in 37 subjects (31women, 6 men; mean age 34.0±10.6) who attended to a Coping Stress and Quality of Care Program at the University of Buenos Aires. Cortisol was measured at the beginning and at the end of the program. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory STAI was used to evaluate state and trait anxiety. KEY FINDINGS: In subjects who completed the program, no differences were observed in salivary cortisol levels between the first and the last session. However, in these subjects, hair cortisol obtained in the last session was significantly lower than hair cortisol in the first session. SIGNIFICANCE: Hair cortisol appears to be a better biomarker than salivary cortisol for evaluation of the effectiveness of a stress reduction program and it seems to be a better indicator of stress system dysregulation as well.

Manejo de estresse para pacientes com HIV/AIDS por meio da TCC / Stress Management for HIV/AIDS patients through CBT

O presente trabalho discute a importância do manejo do estresse em pacientes com HIV/AIDS. Por meio de uma revisão bibliográfica, é realizado um apanhado histórico acerca da epidemia de AIDS e sua relação com o estigma social enfrentado pelos portadores do vírus. Em seguida, estabelece-se que o estigma social é um importante fator de estresse, e se discute de que formas o estresse influencia negativamente no tratamento e no prognóstico do paciente imunodeprimido. São propostas algumas intervenções utilizadas pela terapia cognitivo-comportamental (TCC) para o manejo de estresse, facilmente utilizáveis nos serviços de saúde. São apresentadas as seguintes intervenções: reestruturação cognitiva, respiração diafragmática, mindfulness, biofeedback e relaxamento muscular progressivo(AU)

This paper discusses the importance of stress management in patients with HIV/AIDS. Through a literature review, a historic overview is done about AIDS epidemic and its relationship with the social stigma faced by carriers of the virus. Next, it is established that the social stigma is an important stress factor, and it is shown how stress influences negatively the treatment and prognosis of mmunodepressed patients. Some interventions of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for stress management are proposed, which are easily implemented on health care services. The interventions presented are the following: cognitive restructuring, diaphragmatic breathing, mindfulness, biofeedback and progressive muscular relaxation(AU)

Intervenções psicoeducativas para manejo de estresse ocupacional: um estudo comparativo / Psychoeducational interventions to occupational stress management: a comparative study

Este estudo implementou e avaliou um programa de manejo de estresse ocupacional em um grupo de 74 funcionários administrativos de uma universidade privada, dos quais 42 foram designados para uma Intervenção Multimodal de Manejo de Estresse (ME) e 32 foram designados para um Treino em Habilidades Sociais (HS). Foram conduzidas 12 sessões psicoeducativas, de 90 minutos, em grupo, durante o horário de trabalho. Medidas pré e pós-teste foram feitas em imunidade, pressão arterial e respostas verbais de estresse, habilidades sociais e coping a problemas no trabalho. Ao final do programa, os participantes de ambas as intervenções apresentaram níveis similares de sintomas de estresse, coping a problemas no trabalho, habilidades sociais e imunidade. Apenas diferiram em pressão arterial diastólica: os participantes da intervenção ME apresentaram médias mais baixas nesta variável. Os resultados obtidos não encontraram superioridade de um tipo de intervenção sobre outro.

This study implemented and evaluated an occupational stress management program for a group of 74 non-academics from a private university in the state of Goiás, Brazil. Forty-two employees attended a multimodal intervention for stress management while the other 32 attended social skills training. Both were conducted in 12 group sessions of 60 minutes each, during working hours. Pre and post-test measurements were taken for immunity, blood pressure, and verbal stress responses, social skills and coping with problems at work. Covariance analyses and analyses of variance with stratification has demonstrated that the participants in both interventions presented similar levels of stress symptoms, coping with problems at work, social skills and immunity. They only differed in terms of diastolic blood pressure: The participants from the stress management intervention showed lower mean results (F (3.73) = 15.69, p< .05) for this variable. The results did not indicate that one type of intervention was superior to the other.