Towards a Pedagogy of Stress Management Through Biofeedback

This research was conducted via a collaborative effort between Penn State Hazleton and Penn State Brandywine. A literature review was completed to contextualize the findings, and all materials were presented at the 2025 PSU Undergraduate Research Symposium (4/11/2025) at the Lofstrom Library in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. This work was awarded the University Libraries Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy Fifth Place Prize.

Abstract: Amidst the rapidly changing scope of higher education, college students frequently report stress and anxiety. Biofeedback has demonstrated potential upside in the context of stress management, utilizing real-time physiological data to allow users to self-regulate sympathetic nervous activity. Although existing treatments for anxiety such as mindfulness, talk therapy, and exercise demonstrate consistent efficacy in the realm of anxiety treatment, biofeedback can complement these interventions through the facilitation of neural adaptation associated with physiological stress reduction. In this pilot project, undergraduate students (n=58) volunteered to examine the effects of a handheld auditory biofeedback device. 45 students were given a biofeedback device to use for 7 days, while 13 students were briefed on biofeedback basics and allowed to test the device once. Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) was administered before the intervention (n=45) and after 7 days of use. Qualitative thematic analysis revealed improvements in stress and anxiety levels and revealed a marginally significant reduction in nervousness (p=0.046) after the trial period. Pre-existing and acquired data do not provide a complete picture into biofeedback’s efficacy when administered in a college setting, and further advocacy and research are necessary to identify the extent to which biofeedback education fits within stress management curricula in higher education.