Szabo 2003 conducted a study into psychological effects of exercise. Ninety-six first year university students enrolled in Sport and Exercise Psychology lectures were invited to participate in this research as part of a practical session. This method eliminated the problem of self-selection, but to adhere to ethic al standards students were asked not to take part in the study if they suspect that there may be any medical or health reason that could result in negative consequences to them. They were also instructed not to disclose their names for the sake of maximal confidentiality, but they were requested to report their gender and age. Out of the 96 students 66 men and 27 women complied with the requirements of the study. Participants reported for their Exercise Psychology practical session ready dressed for exercise. Thetesting phase of the practical session was held in a large sports hall. Before this session, students were trained in the palpation of the radial artery for estimating heart rate during exercise. Five minutes after the completion of the POMS (profile of mood states), students were instructed to start running or jogging at a self selected pace. However, walking was not permitted, because that would introduce another exercise. Fifteen minutes into their exercise, participants were requested to take their pulse for 10 seconds using the palpation method they had been trained to use. The POMS scores before and after exercise were analyzed and showed an increase for all the criteria. One possible problem with the study is that the method used to record the participant’s pulses was not accurate. The study was representative of both men and women and was a field experiment so does not lack ecological validity.
Another method of coping with stress is stress inoculation training. Stress inoculation training is a management technique devised Dr. Donald Meichenbaum that is used to educate a sufferer about stress, its effects and how stress itself creates negative outcomes. SIT was devised to overcome the nervousness and anxiety associated with competition. SIT usually involves a therapist working with a client. The training takes place in three phases, each of which has the aim of achieving specific goals. The phases are conceptualisation phase, skills acquisition and rehearsal phase, application and follow through phase. Although there were initially few studies that have evaluated SIT, recent research has shown it to be effective in a range of settings, including helping people deal with stressful jobs such as teaching, nursing and the police, as well as with professional athletes (e.g. Cox, 1991). Meichenbaum treated individuals suffering from both snake phobia and rat phobia. Each patient received treatment for only one phobia using one of two methods, desensitisation, and SIT. Meichenbaum found that both forms of treatment were effective in reducing or eliminating the phobia that was treated. However, stress inoculation also greatly reduced the non-treated phobia, whereas desensitisation did not. The implication is that self-instruction easily generalises to new situations, which makes it more useful than very specific forms of treatment. SIT takes time and effort and as clients have to go through a rigorous program of training over a long period, it can only work with people who have a sufficiently high level of motivation and commitment; therefore, it may not suit certain individuals. Stress inoculation has proved to be effective in reducing the stress that people experience in moderately stressful situations. However, it is of less value when treating individuals who are experiencing prolonged levels of intense stress.
I believe that coping methods for dealing with stress are very important and effective. I believe this, as there is evidence that exercise, stress inoculation training and other methods all help to relieve stress in an individual. Without coping methods such as the above people would not live as long due to increased risk of coronary heart disease, quality of life would also be decreased, as susceptibility to viruses such as flu would be increased. Although coping methods are effective in helping individuals cope with stress not all individuals have the commitment and drive to commit to taking part in coping methods. Most coping methods do involve a commitment and sometimes people who are very stressed might see this as a commitment they don’t have time to or don’t want to make.