EFFECTS OF AN EXERCISE CONDITIONING PROGRAM ON REDUCING THE STRESS RESPONSE IN NURSES (BRAIN AMINES, MHPG, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION).
Contributors: Wayne State University.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 312
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: Survey studies have identified nursing as a highly stressful occupation and have suggested that stress may, in part, be responsible for the high attrition rate.

An experimental study was conducted to measure the effects of aerobic exercise conditioning (ExRx) as a means of reducing the stress response and to do preliminary evaluation of a theory that the brain biogenic amines are involved in the mechanism.

Major study hypotheses predicted that ExRx would reduce state anxiety (ASTATE), depression (ZSDS), 17-OHCS and increase MHPG (metabolite of brain norepinephrine). Predicted changes in physical fitness (PF) included an increase in aerobic capacity ((')VO(,2)max), a decrease in resting heart rate (AMHR), and a decrease in submaximal exercise HR, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). A positive correlation between changes in AMHR and ASTATE and a negative correlation between MHPG and ZSDS in the exercise group was predicted.

Forty previously inactive female nurses were pretested and randomly assigned to exercise E (n = 25) and nonexercise NE control (n = 15) groups. The ExRx program lasted 16 weeks and consisted of fast walking/jogging for 20-30 min. 3x/week. Data from 34 subjects were retained for analysis.

The data were analyzed using ANCOVA wtih pretest scores as the covariates. Findings indicated that there were significant posttest differences between E and NE groups on several of the PF and stress variables. The E group showed a significant increase in (')VO(,2)max (P = 0.0001), decrease in AMHR (P = 0.01), decrease in submaximal exercise HR (P = 0.0001), and SBP (P = 0.04) but decrease in RPE was not significant. Anxiety (P = 0.0001) and depression (P = 0.01) were reduced significantly. There were no signifcant differences between groups on 17-OHCS (P = 0.79) or MHPG (P = 0.07). When the E and C subjects were divided into 4 groups based on initial MHPG (Low and normal), planned orthogonal contrasts showed that the low E group increased MHPG significantly, differing from the other 3 groups (P = 0.014). Correlations between changes in ASTATE and AMHR and between ZSDS and MHPG were in the directions hypothesized but were not significant. The findings support the hypothesis that exercise is stress-reducing but support for the mechanism is tentative. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.).
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-02, Section: B, page: 0577.

Thesis (PH.D.)--WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY, 1985.

School code: 0254.