77 THE POSITIVE INTERVENTION EFFECT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING STRATEGIES COMBINED WITH SOCIAL SUPPORT ON STRESS DISORDERS IN COLLEGE STUDENTS
Authors: Zhao Jinsha , Wu Sha , Du* Jiaxin 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Background
With the intensification of social competition and the acceleration of people’s pace of life, college students are facing unprecedented pressure. According to relevant survey data in China, over 70% of college students experience varying degrees of psychological pressure, with about 20% of students having significant psychological disorders. Psychological pressure and obstacles not only affect the learning, life, and interpersonal communication of college students, but may also have a negative impact on their future development. Psychological counseling, as an effective psychological intervention method, has achieved good results in helping individuals cope with psychological stress. In this context, the study aims to explore the positive intervention effect of psychological counseling strategies combined with social support on stress disorders in college students, with the hope of providing new ideas and methods for the intervention of psychological stress disorders in college students.

Methods
This study involved 200 college students with stress disorders, divided equally into an experimental group and a control group, with 100 participants in each group. Before the experiment, a comprehensive psychological assessment was conducted using the “Self Rating Scale for Stress Disorders in College Students”, with a scoring range of [0,5]. The higher the score, the more severe the stress disorder. The experimental group adopted a psychological counseling strategy combined with social support for a period of 8 weeks. Two weeks before the experiment, psychological counselors had one-on-one conversations with college students twice a week for 60 minutes each time to understand background information and establish trust. During weeks 3-8, develop personalized plans based on evaluations, encourage participation in club activities, and incorporate cognitive-behavioral therapy and teaching coping skills. During weeks 4-7, provide the experimental group of college students with 30 minutes communication support with family and friends every 2 weeks. The control group used the same psychological counseling strategy as the experimental group, but did not involve social support interventions. The counseling frequency was once a week, 60 minutes each time, lasting for 8 weeks.

Results
The pre intervention stress disorder score of the experimental group was 3.5 ± 0.6 points, and the post intervention stress disorder score was 2.1 ± 0.4 points. The difference before and after intervention was statistically significant (P&lt;0.01). The pre intervention stress disorder score of the control group was 3.6 ± 0.5, and the post intervention stress disorder score was 2.8 ± 0.5. The difference before and after intervention was statistically significant (P&lt;0.01). After intervention, the stress disorder scores of the experimental group and the control group showed statistical significance (P&lt;0.01).

Discussion
The psychological counseling strategy combined with social support has a significant positive intervention effect on stress disorders among college students. This intervention strategy helps college students to obtain professional psychological adjustment guidance from psychological counseling when facing stress, and can also use social support networks to obtain emotional, practical, and other forms of support, thereby better coping with stressful situations and reducing the negative impact of stress disorders.

Funding
No. YJYB202302.