<i>“Helpful and fruitful for the collective mental health”:</i> a qualitative evaluation of undergraduate student perceptions of a course-based mental wellness program

Physiology and physiology-related undergraduate majors are often rigorous and students in these programs report elevated stress levels. Equipping these students with effective stress management techniques may benefit their academic success and personal wellness. While previous interventions have found positive outcomes in medical students and undergraduate physiology students, no study has yet qualitatively examined students’ perceptions of mental wellness programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to qualitatively evaluate students’ perceptions of a course-based mental wellness program with the goals of indirectly measuring the efficacy of the program to equip students with stress management strategies. Qualitative methodology used in the present study precludes the development of an a priori hypothesis. Methods: Students enrolled in an Advanced Physiology of Exercise course participated in four mental wellness trainings taught by campus mental health clinicians during class time. At the end of the semester, 159 students completed a qualitative survey asking for open-ended feedback on the mental wellness trainings. Qualitative analysis using a grounded theory approach was employed by two independent researchers to determine categorical themes in the responses. Results: The majority of students reported successfully using the stress management techniques taught in class; the most popular techniques included diaphragmatic breathing, lens shifting, positive self-talk, and studying tips. Unexpected findings included increased likelihood to seek professional campus counseling and potential to decrease collective burnout. Many students offered feedback on ways to improve future mental wellness trainings. Conclusion: Findings indicated successful incorporation of the presented stress management techniques and lower perceptions of stress by most students. Future interventions could consider including objective measurements of stress, shortening the individual trainings, and implementing trainings earlier in the undergraduate program. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.