The impact of a physiotherapist in a school's health team on perceived stress and related symptoms among primary school students.

This study evaluates the impact of incorporating a physiotherapist into a primary school's student health team on students' perceived stress levels and stress-related symptoms.
 

A primary school in western Sweden integrated a physiotherapist into its student health team to help students define and manage stress. Eighty students, aged 10 to 16, participated, with parental consent. Over two years, they completed a 13-question self-reported questionnaire on perceived stress, stress triggers, symptoms, coping strategies, and physical activity levels. Data were collected at four times during the study period and the data from baseline and 2-year follow-up are used in these analyses.
 

At baseline, 28% of students reported experiencing "a lot" or "quite a lot" of stress. Higher stress levels were significantly associated with symptoms such as stomach aches, headaches, irritability, melancholy, poor sleep, and reduced school well-being. School-related factors were identified as the primary source of stress, with concentration difficulties being the most common stress indicator.
After two years, 62 students completed the follow-up. There were no statistically significant changes in perceived stress or related symptoms over time. However, physical activity levels significantly increased. Initially, students coped with stress primarily through activities like watching movies/youtube, listening to music and spending time with friends. By the 2-year follow-up, physical activity, listening to music, resting, and spending time with friends were the most common coping strategies.
 

There were no changes in perceived stress and stress-related symptoms among the students from baseline to the two-year follow-up, but their self-reported level of physical activity had increased. More students used physical activity as a strategy to cope with stress after a physiotherapist introduced activities at the school to help them define and manage stress. The study sample was small, so the results should be interpreted with caution.

Physiotherapists could be valuable additions to student health teams in Sweden, promoting active stress management and physical activity.