Learning How to Recover From Stress - Pilot RCT

NCT05220592 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: iStress4
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 69
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This randomized, controlled pilot trial evaluated the efficacy of a brief internet-based recovery training intervention targeting distressed employees. This pilot trial is one of the first to examine a brief recovery training program's efficacy, suggesting that employees across a wide range of professions could learn how to recover from elevated stress symptoms. This type of accessible and brief recovery intervention might shape the future of stress prevention, but more research is needed with larger samples before further conclusions can be drawn.

Conditions

Adjustment Disorders

Keywords

Recovery; Stress; Internet-based; Prevention; Intervention; Work

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Recovery Experiences Questionnaire

  The 16-item Recovery Experience Questionnaire (REQ) includes four factors, representing four different recovery experiences; (i) psychological detachment (ii) relaxation, (iii) mastery and (iv) control. The questionnaire is answered on a 5-point Likert scale, and has been validated in a Swedish population showing excellent internal consistency, α=0.92 \[83\].

  Pre; 5 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (12)

• Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire

  Pre; 5 weeks

• Perceived Stress Scale

  Pre; 5 weeks

• Karolinska Exhaustion Disorder Scale

  Pre; 5 weeks

• Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale

  Pre; 5 weeks

• Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale

  Pre; 5 weeks

Other Outcomes (1)

• Recovery Experiences Questionnaire

  6-month, 12-month

Study Arms (2)

Internet-based recovery training program (n=35)

EXPERIMENTAL

The iRTP was based on recovery experiences (psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, and control), converted into a recovery training intervention inspired by Hahn et al. (2011). The iRTP comprised five modules distributed over five weeks, with modules lasting 60-120 minutes per week.

Behavioral: Internet-based recovery training program

Wait-list control group (n=34)

NO INTERVENTION

Wait-list control group received equal and parallell assessment and eligibility procedure as the experimental conditions. Wait-list control group gained access to iCBT/W-iCBT program after the six months follow-up.

Interventions

Internet-based recovery training program BEHAVIORAL

The iRTP was based on recovery experiences (psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, and control), converted into a recovery training intervention, and inspired by Hahn et al. (2011). The iRTP comprised five modules distributed over five weeks, with modules lasting 60-120 minutes per week. Each module contained psycho education, worksheets, images, cases, audio and video files, and homework assignments.

Internet-based recovery training program (n=35)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 70 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• All participants were volunteers. To be eligible for the study, each participant had to fulfill the following criteria:
• at least 18 years old; (ii) fluent in Swedish
• have access to a computer or handheld device with internet access
• currently be employed
• \>14 points on the Perceived Stress Scale
• \<5 points on the Shirom Melamed Burnout Questionnaire (SMBQ)
• \<20 points on the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-Self-Rated (MADRS-S)
• \<21 points on the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)
• \<14 points on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).

You may not qualify if:

• Participants were excluded from the study if they:
• currently were in treatment for stress or burnout;
• currently were suffering from bipolar disorder, psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, substance abuse, severe forms of depression, anxiety disorder or personality disorders as assessed in a telephone interview (MINI)
• suicidal ideation based on Item 9 on the MADRS-S.
• If on medication (e.g., antidepressants or sleep medication) this should be held constant medication constant during the study period.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Linkoeping University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University

Linköping, Östergötland County, 58183, Sweden

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Asplund RP, Carvallo F, Christensson H, Videsater E, Haggman A, Ljotsson B, Carlbring P, Andersson G. Learning how to recover from stress: Results from an internet-based randomized controlled pilot trial. Internet Interv. 2023 Oct 17;34:100681. doi: 10.1016/j.invent.2023.100681. eCollection 2023 Dec.

  PMID: 38023967 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Adjustment Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Gerhard Andersson, PhD

  Linkoeping University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: Single blinded
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: This study was a two-armed controlled trial in which an internet-based recovery training program (iRTP) was compared with a wait-list control group (WLC). The study followed Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines (Schulz et al., 2010) and was conducted between February 2018 and May 2019. Since this was a pilot trial, no power calculation and estimates of sample size were conducted.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 20, 2022
• First Posted: February 2, 2022
• Study Start: February 15, 2018
• Primary Completion: February 15, 2019
• Study Completion: May 26, 2020
• Last Updated: February 2, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Time Frame: When published.
• Access Criteria: On request or public.

Locations

SE (1)