Effect of Personal Resilience™ Techniques on Perceived Stress, Anxiety, and Heart Rate Variability in Nursing Students

Nursing students experience stressors that may increase anxiety and decrease academic performance and life satisfaction (Chernomas & Shapiro, 2013; Holinka, 2015). Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback measures the time between heartbeats and can be combined with breathing exercises and emotional regulation techniques to reduce stress and anxiety and increase HRV (McCraty, 2015; Ratanasiripong, Ratanasiripong, & Kathalae, 2012). Increased HRV is associated with enhanced cognitive function and emotional control (McCraty, 2015). A one-group pretest-posttest design was utilized to implement a Personal Resilience™ technique intervention in senior undergraduate nursing students. Perceived stress, anxiety, and HRV coherence scores were measured pre and post-intervention. Participants experienced a statistically significant decrease in perceived stress and increase in HRV coherence scores. Although anxiety scores decreased from pre to post-intervention, the change was not statistically significant. This project has statistical and clinical significance and may assist nursing students in managing stress and anxiety during their education and transition to the nursing profession. These techniques can be recommended by nurse practitioners and nursing faculty to students experiencing stress and anxiety