The effects of instructional set on the outcome of a stress management program

A multicomponent stress management program, consisting of education about stress, various sorts of relaxation training, and cognitive coping strategies, was administered under two different instructional sets: In the positive demand set the program was touted to have previously been shown to be very effective, while in the neutral demand set the program was described as experimental. The two conditions were compared to a waiting list control. Results showed higher expectations of benefit in the positive demand group. Moreover, this group rated themselves as more able to cope with stress than the other two groups. Finally, the positive demand group showed significantly greater reductions in systolic blood pressure reactivity to laboratory stress tests (mental arithmetic and cold pressor) than the other two groups. The posttest advantages seemed to be mediated by a significantly higher level of home practice in the positive demand group.