Adolescents are the most stressed generation, with almost a third of teens reporting very high levels of daily stress. Chronic stress is associated with adverse physiological (e.g., immune dysregulation, obesity) and psychological (e.g., anxiety, depression) health outcomes and negatively impacts learning and memory. For many students, school is the only access point for mental health services, but accessible and scalable stress interventions for teens are lacking or too costly for schools to implement. Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) have demonstrated efficacy in improving self-regulation and stress-related health outcomes, and virtual reality (VR) holds promise as a self-administered, immersive platform to deliver mindfulness interventions. Therefore, development of a school-based, self-administered mindfulness intervention is an ideal solution to support vulnerable adolescents by reducing their stress.

This project aligns with the UW ALACRITY mission by: (1) proposing a novel adaptation to an evidence-based intervention and (2) engaging a multidisciplinary team including end-users to (3) address a critical health problem (teen stress). The development of RESeT will provide an accessible and scalable stress intervention that can be implemented in schools, potentially reaching vulnerable adolescents who would otherwise lack access to mental health services and supporting improved self-regulation and stress-related health outcomes.