ABSTRACT
SUMMARY. This study of stress management via group therapy evaluated the effect of group process and structured content on the reduction of stress. Group process focused mainly on cohesion, interpersonal learning, self-disclosure, and group norms. Structured content consisted of relaxation training, assertiveness training, and cognitive restructuring. Sixty-four subjects were randomly assigned to four conditions: (1) Group Process, (2) High Structure, (3) Combined (process and structure), and (4) Control (waiting list). Results showed that the 3 treatment conditions (1-3) were significantly better than no treatment on at least one dependent measure, and although not statistically significant, the conditions enhancing group process (1 and 3 above) were generally superior to those that didn’t.
