EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION AND BIOFEEDBACK – ASSISTED RELAXATION IN REDUCING PERCEIVED STRESS AMONG STUDENTS WITH REGARD TO PERSONALITY FEATURES

Abstract. Background. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of biofeed-back-assisted relaxation as well as progressive muscle relaxation in reducing per-ceived stress with regard to personality features. Method. The subjects of the study were 177 university students, 143 of which participated in the course of six sessions. The subjects participated either in four progressive muscle relaxation sessions (n=47) or four biofeedback-assisted relaxation sessions (n=48). Subjects in the comparison group participated only in the 1st and the 6th sessions without relaxation training. Biofeedback-assisted relaxation was conducted using NeXus – 10 device (The Neth-erlands). Results and conclusions. Both relaxation methods proved to be effective in reducing perceived stress. Changes in perceived stress were related to the type of relaxation, personality characteristics, and their intensity. Key words: perceived stress, personality characteristics, relaxation, biofeedback-assisted relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation, students, Lithuania