The Interactive Effects of Biofeedback-Assisted Stress Management and Training Acquisition in Predicting Health Outcomes

Thirty-seven chronic disease patients were randomized to either a biofeedback-assisted stress management (BFSM) experimental group or a usual care (UC) control condition. It was hypothesized that participants enrolled in the BFSM treatment group would demonstrate lower levels of norepinephrine and depression than those in the UC control condition. It was further hypothesized that training acquisition would modify the main effect of group assignment on depression and norepinephrine. The BFSM group demonstrated significantly lower levels of norepinephrine than the UC group. There were no main effects of BFSM on depression. The training acquisition X group assignment interaction was not significant. Results are discussed in terms of providing support for a common mechanism for the effects of BFSM on health outcomes in chronic diseases with ANS dysfunction, and the implications of assessing training acquisition in both clinical and research settings