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Reducing Anxiety and Improving Academic Performance Through a Biofeedback Relaxation Training Program

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of a biofeedback relaxation training program on anxiety and academic performance. The program consisted of five biofeedback sessions coupled with three training activities focused on deep breathing, guided imagery, and muscle relaxation. The participants were second-year psychology undergraduates from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU, northern Spain). The experimental group comprised 152 students (M age  = 19.6, SD = 0.74; 74% women) and the control group 81 students (M age   = 19.4, SD = 0.92; 71% women). Results showed that after participating in the program, students in the experimental group had lower levels of anxiety and increased academic performance. Furthermore, they scored lower on anxiety and higher on academic performance in comparison with the control subjects. This suggests that the inclusion of biofeedback training programs in educational contexts could be a way of reducing anxiety and improving academic performance. It may also deepen our understanding of the dynamic interplay between psychophysiological, cognitive, and emotional processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Basic Psychological Processes and Development, Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Tolosa Avenue, 70, 20018, San Sebastian, Spain

    Aitor Aritzeta

  2. Department of Personality, Assesment and Psychological Treatment, Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Tolosa Avenue, 70, 20018, San Sebastian, Spain

    Goretti Soroa & Alexander Muela

  3. Department of Social Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Methodology, Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Tolosa Avenue, 70, 20018, San Sebastian, Spain

    Nekane Balluerka, Arantxa Gorostiaga & Jone Aliri

  4. Biodonostia Health Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain

    Nekane Balluerka & Arantxa Gorostiaga

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  1. Aitor Aritzeta
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  2. Goretti Soroa
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Correspondence to Aitor Aritzeta.

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Ethical Approval

This study followed the ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects and all procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments. This investigation was approved by the Ethics Committee for Human Research of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Informed consent was collected from all participants included in the study.

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Aritzeta, A., Soroa, G., Balluerka, N. et al. Reducing Anxiety and Improving Academic Performance Through a Biofeedback Relaxation Training Program. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 42, 193–202 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-017-9367-z

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