“Stress-free” mobile app for Moroccan university students: “relaxation program” validation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to validate an antistress program called “relaxation program” that will be included in the “stress-free” mobile app designed to help Moroccan university students to better manage their psychological stress. The study took place between November 2018 and February 2019 at Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Fez (Morocco). 5 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">th</sup> year Medical students were our target population in this study. At first, a cross sectional study was conducted in order to measure students' baseline stress level by using Perceived Stress Scale 10 (PSS-10) and to assess to students' acceptability of an antistress mobile application. Based on the results of this study, an interventional part was set up in collaboration with Psychiatric Service of University Hospital Center of Fez (Morocco). In this study, two groups have been created: “group test” who received the “relaxation program” and “group control” who did not receive any type of intervention. The baseline stress level had been qualified “moderate” or “high” for the two groups. The aim of this interventional part was to validate the “relaxation program” by both comparing stress level before and after receiving the “relaxation program” for “group test” and to confirm the stability of stress level for “group control”. 308 students, of whom 61.03% are female, co-operated and accepted to complete the baseline questionnaire. The mean age was 22.35 (SD = 1.22). The premeasurement of stress level showed that 115 (37.5%) of our population had a moderate stress level, and 6.5% had a high stress level. The idea of establishment of an anti-stress mobile application was well accepted by students as 73.37% of them ranged their opinion between “beneficial” and “very beneficial”. The interventional study showed the effectiveness and validity of “relaxation program” on reducing the stress level for “group test” by using the statistical t-test (Mean pre-measurement =26.14 vs. Mean post-measurement= 18.54; p =.000). This study highlights the statistical and clinical validity of “relaxation program”. Future studies will be planned in order to develop the adaptive design to this anti-stress program in order to incorporate it in the “stressfree” mobile application.