Feasibility and Acceptability of the Online JOBS Program

Lead sponsor

West University of Timisoara is the lead sponsor of 13 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Study arms

• Experimental
  iJobs

  All the participants will be included in the program.

  Behavioral: iJobs

Interventions

• BehavioraliJobs

  During the program, the participants will learn and exercise successful job search strategies. The web-based adaptation of the Jobs program will allow self-administration. After each session, they will receive written feedback from trainers on the platform.

Primary outcomes

1. Job search behavior effort

   Job search behavior effort: Job Search Behavior Scale (Blau, 1994) was designed to measure participants' involvement in job search activities, in terms of frequency and intensity. The minimum score is 16 and the maximum is 80. A higher score means a better outcome (increased job search behavior effort).

   Time frame: Change from baseline to follow-up (3 months).

2. Satisfaction with the intervention

   Satisfaction with the intervention will be measured using 22 items. We will use 6 items aiming at the program's content retrieved from a questionnaire used for measuring the alliance between trainers and trainees in a face-to-face JOBS intervention. The minimum score is 6 and the highest is 42. A higher score means a better outcome (increased satisfaction with the intervention). Also, we will use 16 items retrieved from a scale previously used for measuring the satisfaction with an online intervention delivered on the same platform as we will use for our program. Nine of the items are measured on a Likert scale. The minimum score is 7 and the maximum is 42. A higher score means greater satisfaction. 7 items are open-ended questions and imply qualitative analysis.

   Time frame: Post-intervention (2 weeks).

3. System usability

   We will use a 10 item questionnaire (Bangor et al., 2009) designed to measure participants' satisfaction with e-cbt, the online platform used for the program delivery. The total score of System Usability Scale is 0 and the highest one is 100. A higher score means a better outcome.

   Time frame: Post-intervention (2 weeks).

4. Treatment adherence

   The number of completed assignments; Quality of completed assignment (qualitative rating of the degree of completeness and depth of the answer for each assignment, conducted by two independent experts based on apriori established coding grids).

   Time frame: Post-intervention only (2 weeks).

Secondary outcomes

1. Job-Search Self-Efficacy

   Job Search Self-Efficacy Scale was designed to measure participants' perception of their ability to gain employment. We will use the 20 item version of the scale developed by Saks et al., 2015. The minimum score is 20 and the maximum is 100. A higher score means a better outcome (increased job search self-efficacy).

   Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks).

2. Self-esteem

   Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale is a self-esteem measure widely used in social science research. It is a ten-item Likert-type scale with items answered on a four-point scale-from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The scale measures global self-worth by measuring both positive and negative feelings about the self. The minimum score of Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale is 10 and the highest one is 40. A higher score means a better outcome.

   Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks).

3. Inoculation against setbacks

   We will use 2 items retrieved from previous studies (Vuori \& Vinokur, 2005) aiming to measure the effectiveness of JOBS intervention in terms of participant's ability to deal with setbacks. The minimum score is 2 and the maximum is 10. A higher score means a better outcome (presence of inoculation against setbacks).

   Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks).

4. Future Career Anxiety

   We will measure participant's anxiety regarding their future career in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak with the Future Career Anxiety Scale developed by Tsai et al., 2017 (Mahmud et al., 2020). The minimum score is 5 and the maximum is 25. A higher score means a worse outcome (increased anxiety).

   Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks).

5. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9)

   Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was designed to measure participants' severity of depression using DSM IV criteria. The minimum score of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 is 0 and the highest one is 27. A higher score means a worse outcome (more severe symptoms of depression).

   Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks).

6. Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD7)

   Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment is a self-administered 7 item instrument that uses some of the DSM-V criteria for GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) to identify probable cases of GAD along with measuring anxiety symptom severity. The minimum score of Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment is 0 and the highest one is 21. A higher score means a worse outcome (a higher level of anxiety).

   Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks).

7. Employment status

   Self-reported employment status (phone screening).

   Time frame: Follow-up (3 months).

8. Job Quality

   For those who found employment - phone screening.

   Time frame: Follow-up (3 months).

Other outcomes

1. Physical health

   We will use a short-version of the Physical Health Complaints Scale (Ware, 1999) to measure participants' perception of their health. The minimum score is 4 and the highest is 20. A higher score means a worse outcome (worse physical health).

   Time frame: Baseline only (factors to be controlled for).

2. Financial strain

   We will use a single item from Vuori \& Vinokur, 2005 to assess participants' financial strain, respectively: 'What is the financial situation of your family/household in your opinion?'. The minimum score is 1 while the maximum is 5. A higher score means a high level of financial strain.

   Time frame: Baseline only (factors to be controlled for).

3. Sociodemographic information

   Age, gender, background, educational level, average monthly income, unemployment period, work experience, and targeted professional field.

   Time frame: Baseline only

Publications

• Bangor, A.,Kortum, P. & Miller, J. (2009). Determining what individual SUS scores mean: adding an adjective rating scale. Journal of Usability Studies, 4(3), 114-123.
• Blau, G. (1994). Testing a Two-Dimensional Measure of Job Search Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 59(2), 288-312. https://doi.org/10.1006/obhd.1994.1061
• Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Sep;16(9):606-13. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x. PubMed 11556941 ↗
• Mahmud MS, Talukder MU, Rahman SM. Does 'Fear of COVID-19' trigger future career anxiety? An empirical investigation considering depression from COVID-19 as a mediator. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2021 Feb;67(1):35-45. doi: 10.1177/0020764020935488. Epub 2020 Jul 2. PubMed 32615833 ↗
• Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the Self. New York: Basic Books.
• Saks, A.M., Zikic, J. & Koen, J. (2015). Job search self-efficacy: Reconceptualizing the construct and its measurement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 86, 104-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2014.11.007
• Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Lowe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006 May 22;166(10):1092-7. doi: 10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092. PubMed 16717171 ↗
• Ware JE Jr, Keller SD, Hatoum HT, Kong SX. The SF-36 Arthritis-Specific Health Index (ASHI): I. Development and cross-validation of scoring algorithms. Med Care. 1999 May;37(5 Suppl):MS40-50. doi: 10.1097/00005650-199905001-00004. PubMed 10335742 ↗
• Vuori, J. & Vinokur, A.D. (2005). Job-search preparedness as a mediator of the effects of the Tyohon Job Search Intervention on re-employment and mental health. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 275-291. DOI: 10.1002/job.308