An interventional study of WorkGuru in Emotional Stress, sponsored by University of Sussex. Completed at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-05-04.
Sponsored by University of Sussex · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
The purpose of this pilot study is to explore the effect of an online facilitated discussion group on engagement with a stress management intervention delivered to employees in the UK via the Internet. The investigators primary hypothesis is that the intervention group with access to an online facilitated discussion group (delivered via a message board) will show greater engagement than the intervention group that does not have access to the discussion group. The investigators also hypothesise that participants in the intervention groups will improve significantly on psychological distress and subjective wellbeing measures compared to the waiting list control group, and that the group with access to the online facilitated discussion group will show the greatest improvement.
The aim of the pilot study is to identify and address some of the challenges of delivering online psychological interventions in the workplace. There is clear research evidence for the delivery of online psychological interventions within clinical settings (e.g. Andersson \& Cuijpers, 2009), but this evidence does not translate to online interventions delivered in work settings (e.g. Geraedts, Kleiboer, Twisk, Wiezer, van Mechelen, \& Cuijpers, 2014). Evidence suggests that one of the barriers to the efficacy of online interventions may be the low level of engagement and adherence (Cavanagh \& Millings, 2013). This study aims to address this by asking the question: "How can we increase engagement with and adherence to an online intervention delivered in the workplace?"
The pilot study is a three-arm RCT comparing a minimal guided online Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) based stress management intervention (WorkGuru) delivered with and without an online facilitated bulletin board, to a waiting list control. Both active conditions will have access to an online programme with minimal support from a coach. The discussion group condition will also have access to a facilitated online bulletin board. Up to 90 employees from UK based organisations will be recruited to the study.
Inclusion criteria will include age 18 or over, elevated levels of stress (defined as 1SD above the mean norm on the PSS-10 scale), access to a computer or tablet, and the Internet. The primary outcome measure will be engagement, as defined by the number of logins to the site; secondary outcome measures will include further measures of engagement (the number of pages visited, the number of modules completed and self-report engagement) and measures of effectiveness (psychological distress and subjective wellbeing). Possible moderators will include measures of intervention quality (satisfaction, acceptability, credibility, system usability), time pressure, goal conflict, level of distress at baseline, and job autonomy. Measures will be taken at baseline, 2 weeks (credibility and expectancy measures only), 9 weeks (completion of intervention) and 16 weeks (follow-up). Analyses will be conducted on intention to treat and per protocol principles. Data will be collected electronically using Qualtrics survey software.
783 studies on the registry are indexed under Stress, Psychological; 128 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 84 is close to the median of 86 across 630 interventional studies indexed under Stress, Psychological.
Browse Stress, Psychological studies →University of Sussex is the lead sponsor of 15 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Intervention group with 8 week access to the online stress management programme with minimal support from a coach (WorkGuru).
Behavioral: WorkGuru
Intervention group with 8 week access to the online stress management programme with minimal support from a coach, plus access to an online facilitated messaging board (WorkGuru).
Behavioral: WorkGuru
Control group with access to the intervention after 16 weeks
A multi-modal stress management intervention accessed over 8 weeks, incorporates CBT, positive psychology and Mindfulness. Delivered via the internet.
Number of log-in to the site
number of times participants log in to the website
Time frame: 9 weeks
Number of modules completed
number of modules completed
Time frame: 9 weeks
Number of pages visited
number of pages visited
Time frame: 9 weeks
Self-report engagement
1 item self-report engagement
Time frame: 9 weeks
Depressions, anxiety and stress
Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21)
Time frame: baseline, 9 weeks and 16 weeks
Well-being at work
16-item Institute of Work Psychology Multi Affect Indicator
Time frame: baseline, 9 weeks and 16 weeks
Plan to share: Undecided
This study is completed, as verified in May 2017. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Sussex