The effect of an integrated stress management program on the psychologic and physiologic stress reactions of peptic ulcer in Korea

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of an integrated stress management program on symptoms of stress and ulcer healing in a sample of Koreans at a major medical center in Seoul, Korea. The study employed an experimental design with two treatment groups. One treatment group (n=23) participated in an integrated stress management program that consisted of seven 1 h sessions over a 4-week period. A second treatment group (n=24) was only given a tape on progressive muscle relaxation. Data were collected over a 4-month period on 47 subjects. Participants were randomly assigned to the two treatment groups. Symptoms of stress were measured by the symptoms of stress scale (Kogan, Self-regulation on Stress Reaction by Biofeedback, Korean Psychiatric Academic Society, Korea) translated into Korean. Stage of ulcer healing was evaluated by a physician using an endoscope. Physiologic stress reactions were measured by biofeedback equipment. The integrated stress management program treatment group reported significantly lower stress symptom scores than the progressive muscle relaxation-only group (t=3.66, P<0.001). The integrated stress management group also demonstrated a greater improvement in ulcer healing than the progressive muscle relaxation group (t=1.95, P<0.05). The integrated stress management program was more effective in decreasing self-reported stress symptoms and resulted in a more significant ulcer healing than the progressive muscle relaxation treatment.