ERIC Number: EJ845943
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0965-4283
EISSN: N/A
Stress-Prevention in Secondary Schools: Online- versus Face-to-Face-Training
Fridrici, Mirko; Lohaus, Arnold
Health Education, v109 n4 p299-313 2009
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on the evaluation of an internet-delivered stress-prevention program for adolescents as a possible alternative for school-based implementation of mental health promotion. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 904 adolescents in grades eight and nine were assigned to four treatment conditions (online-training in school, online-training via internet from home, school-based face-to-face training, control group without intervention). Before and after the training interval, all adolescents were questioned about their knowledge regarding stress and coping and their appraisal of stress-evoking situations. The participants self-assessed their perceived stress vulnerability, their coping behavior and their stress symptoms. In addition, the training groups were asked about their training acceptance. Findings: The results show a considerable knowledge gain for participants of the online-program. The number of positive cognitions in stress-evoking situations also increased, although this effect was only observed in the school-based online-training setting. Regarding training acceptance, the best results were obtained for participants of the classical face-to-face intervention. Research limitations/implications: Future research should examine factors that influence compliance rates in internet-delivered prevention programs. Practical implications: Although online-prevention cannot completely substitute school-based face-to-face-training, it can be seen as an effective and economic complement to conventional methods of health promotion. Originality/value: This paper presents not only a comparative evaluation of internet- and school-based health promotion targeting adolescents, but also a comparison of the effects of online-prevention under "real" and "ideal" conditions. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Control Groups, Intervention, Health Promotion, Prevention, Adolescents, Coping, Comparative Analysis, Internet, Stress Variables, Secondary School Students, Program Evaluation, Mental Health, Stress Management, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Schemata (Cognition), Foreign Countries, Multivariate Analysis, Knowledge Level
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A