Healthy and unhealthy stress unwinding: Promoting health in small businesses

Workers can relax and unwind from stress through positive behaviors (e.g. exercise, meditation, reading) or substances (alcohol, medication, drugs, or tobacco). This study explored unwinding and prevention training among small business workers (N = 539). Personal and workplace protective factors contributed to greater positive unwinding and less substance unwinding. Employees were randomly assigned to one of two prevention trainings (Team Awareness-SB or Choices in Health Promotion) or a control group. Regression analyses indicated both trainings improved positive unwinding (compared to controls) beyond. the effects of protective factors. Positive unwinding is an important resource with potential relevance to small businesses.