Effects of Stress Inoculation Training for 1st-Year Law Students

The effects of stress inoculation training (SIT) on the anxiety, stress, irrationality, and academic performance of 1st-year law students were examined. A 2 × 3 repeated-measures crossover design was used in which the middle assessment occasion marked when control participants began receiving SIT. Compared with those in the control phase, participants initially receiving SIT showed decrements on personal, emotional, and general stress. Additional analyses indicated that all participants who received SIT displayed lower levels of anxiety, stress, and irrationality over time. Finally, the academic ranks of participants predicted to finish in the bottom 20% of their class on the basis of LSAT scores reflected conspicuous and significant improvement. SIT has promising applicability to the high levels of stress experienced by 1st-year law students.