scholarly journals Promoting recovery in daily life: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Reis ◽  
Alexander Hart ◽  
Dirk Lehr ◽  
Malte Friese

Abstract Background Work-related stress shows steadily increasing prevalence rates and has tangible consequences for individual workers, their organizations, and society as a whole. One mechanism that may help offset the negative outcomes of work-related stress on employees’ well-being is recovery. Recovery refers to the experience of unwinding from one's job when not at work. However, employees who experience high levels of work-related stress and are thus particularly in need of recovery tend to struggle to switch-off. Due to the detrimental effects of this prolonged and sustained mental representation of job stressors, interventions promoting recovery may contribute to improvements in employees' mental health. Methods In this randomized, waitlist controlled trial, we will investigate the effectiveness of two 6-week online training programs (cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based). The sample will include employees working at least part-time during regular work hours. Besides the pre-post-follow-up assessments, the trial will include measurement bursts with the goal of examining the underlying mechanisms. We expect that both interventions will reduce work-related perseverative thinking (PT) compared with the waitlist control groups (primary outcome). Also, we expect that both interventions will result in similar improvements, but the underlying mechanisms will differ (process outcomes). In the cognitive-behavioral intervention group, we expect that the main mechanism responsible for lower PT levels will be an increase in recovery experiences across time. In the mindfulness-based group, we expect that the main mechanism responsible for lower PT levels will be an increase in facets of mindfulness across time. Discussion In the present study, we will investigate mechanisms underlying assumed changes in work-related PT in great detail. Besides evaluating the overall effectiveness of the two interventions in terms of pre-post-follow-up changes, we will look at the underlying processes at different levels—that is, within days, within weeks, across weeks, and between individuals. Accordingly, our study will offer a fine-grained approach to investigating potential determinants, mediators, and moderators of the processes that may, in the end, be responsible for work-related strain. From a public health perspective, if effective, the online training programs may offer valuable, low-threshold, and low-intensity interventions for a broad range of occupations. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Registration: DRKS00024933. Registered prospectively 7 April 2021. https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00024933

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e041157
Author(s):  
Anna-Maria Hultén ◽  
Pernilla Bjerkeli ◽  
Kristina Holmgren

ObjectivesTo evaluate the effectiveness of a brief intervention about early identification of work-related stress combined with feedback at consultation with a general practitioner (GP) on the number of self-reported sick leave days.DesignRandomised controlled trial. Prospective analyses of self-reported sick leave data collected between November 2015 and January 2017.SettingSeven primary healthcare centres in western Sweden.ParticipantsThe study included 271 employed, non-sick-listed patients aged 18–64 years seeking care for mental and/or physical health complaints. Of these, 132 patients were allocated to intervention and 139 patients to control.InterventionsThe intervention group received a brief intervention about work-related stress, including training for GPs, screening of patients’ work-related stress, feedback to patients on screening results and discussion of measures at GP consultation. The control group received treatment as usual.Outcome measuresThe number of self-reported gross sick leave days and the number of self-reported net sick leave days, thereby also considering part-time sick leave.ResultsAt 6 months’ follow-up, 220/271 (81%) participants were assessed, while at 12 months’ follow-up, 241/271 (89%) participants were assessed. At 6-month follow-up, 59/105 (56%) in the intervention group and 61/115 (53%) in the control group reported no sick leave. At 12-month follow-up, the corresponding numbers were 61/119 (51%) and 57/122 (47%), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the intervention group and the control group in the median number of self-reported gross sick leave days and the median number of self-reported net sick leave days.ConclusionsThe brief intervention showed no effect on the numbers of self-reported sick leave days for patients seeking care at the primary healthcare centres. Other actions and new types of interventions need to be explored to address patients’ perceiving of ill health due to work-related stress.Trial registration numberNCT02480855.


2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 538-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Khamisa ◽  
Karl Peltzer ◽  
Dragan Ilic ◽  
Brian Oldenburg

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A-M Hultén ◽  
S Dahlin-Ivanoff ◽  
K Holmgren

Abstract Background General practitioners (GP) can find it difficult to early detect and treat ill health due to work-related stress. In a randomized controlled trial, a brief early intervention using the work stress questionnaire (WSQ) combined with feedback at consultation was tested to reduce sick leave. This study explored GPs' reasoning about using the intervention. Methods A focus group study was performed with 23 GPs at six primary health care centers, each constituting one focus group. The discussions, lasting between 30-45 minutes, were analyses based on a method by Krueger. Results The GPs positioned work-related stress by making fundamental standpoints on stress and how it should be handled, in order to make sense of their work concerning work-related stress. In addition, they acted to the best of their ability with assigned resources to treat patients with ill health due to stress. Further, the GPs set their regular and preferred way of practicing daily work against the intervention's degree of intrusion and benefits. When the resources and daily work changed, the GPs formed a revised understanding of stress and how it should be handled. Conclusions The GPs found their ordinary way of working to be sufficient for early identification and treatment of patients with ill health due to work-related stress. However, when resources were scarce, the responsibility to handle these patients was questioned. Competence and interprofessional collaboration are therefore needed to early identify and treat ill health due to work-related stress. In addition, the GPs' responsibility in relation to other actors must be clarified. Key messages The primary health care’s role for patients perceiving work-related stress was not given. The GPs’ confidence in addressing ill health due to work-related stress depended on assigned resources.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleonor I. Fransson ◽  
Magdalena Stadin ◽  
Maria Nordin ◽  
Dan Malm ◽  
Anders Knutsson ◽  
...  

Introduction. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common heart rhythm disorder. Several life-style factors have been identified as risk factors for AF, but less is known about the impact of work-related stress. This study aims to evaluate the association between work-related stress, defined as job strain, and risk of AF.Methods. Data from the Swedish WOLF study was used, comprising 10,121 working men and women. Job strain was measured by the demand-control model. Information on incident AF was derived from national registers. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between job strain and AF risk.Results. In total, 253 incident AF cases were identified during a total follow-up time of 132,387 person-years. Job strain was associated with AF risk in a time-dependent manner, with stronger association after 10.7 years of follow-up (HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.10–3.36 after 10.7 years, versus HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.67–1.83 before 10.7 years). The results pointed towards a dose-response relationship when taking accumulated exposure to job strain over time into account.Conclusion. This study provides support to the hypothesis that work-related stress defined as job strain is linked to an increased risk of AF.


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