Use of a mHealth Mobile Application to Reduce Stress in Adults with Autism: a Pre-Post Pilot Study of the Stress Autism Mate (SAM)

Background Work-related stress and burnout remain common problems among employees, leading to impaired health and higher absenteeism. The use of mobile health apps to promote well-being has grown substantially; however, the impact of such apps on reducing stress and preventing burnout is limited. Objective This study aims to assess the effectiveness of STAPP@Work, a mobile-based stress management intervention, on perceived stress, coping self-efficacy, and the level of burnout among mental health employees. Methods The study used a single-case experimental design to examine the use of STAPP@Work among mental health employees without a known diagnosis of burnout (N=63). Participants used the app for 1 week per month repeatedly for a period of 6 months. Using a reversal design, the participants used the app 6 times to assess replicated immediate (1 week after use) and lasting (3 weeks after use) effects. The Perceived Stress Scale, the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Burnout Assessment Tool were used to measure the outcomes. Linear mixed models were used to analyze the data. Results After 6 months of app use for 1 week per month, the participants showed a statistically significant decrease in perceived stress (b=–0.38, 95% CI –0.67 to –0.09; P=.01; Cohen d=0.50) and burnout symptoms (b=–0.31, 95% CI –0.51 to –0.12; P=.002; Cohen d=0.63) as well as a statistically significant improvement in problem-focused coping self-efficacy (b=0.42, 95% CI 0-0.85; P=.049; Cohen d=0.42). Long-term use of the app provided consistent reductions in burnout symptoms over time, including in the level of exhaustion and emotional impairment. Conclusions The use of an app-based stress management intervention has been shown to reduce burnout symptoms and enhance coping self-efficacy among mental health workers. Prevention of burnout and minimization of work-related stress are of utmost importance to protect employee health and reduce absenteeism.

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Assessing the Effectiveness of STAPP@Work, a Self-Management Mobile App, in Reducing Work Stress and Preventing Burnout: Single-Case Experimental Design Study (Preprint)

Demirel,

Roke,

Hoogendoorn

et al. 2023

Preprint

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BACKGROUND Work-related stress and burnout remain a common problem among employees leading to impaired health and higher absenteeism. Use of mobile health apps to promote well-being has grown substantially, however, the impact of such apps on reducing stress and preventing burnout is limited. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of STAPP@Work, a mobile based stress management intervention, on perceived stress, coping self-efficacy and the level of burnout among mental health employees. METHODS A study using a single-case experimental design was conducted among mental health employees without a known diagnosis of burnout (n=63). Participants have used the app one week per month repeatedly for a period of six months. Using a reversal design, the intervention was applied for a total of six times to assess replicated immediate (1-weeks post-use) and lasting (3-weeks post-use) effects. The Perceived Stress Scale, Coping Self-Efficacy Scale and Burnout Assessment Tool were used to measure outcomes. Linear mixed models were used to analyze the data. RESULTS After six months of app use for one week per month the participants showed a statistically significant decrease in perceived stress (b=-0.38, 95% CI -0.67 to -0.09; P=.01, d=0.50) and burnout symptoms (b=-0.31, 95% CI -0.51 to -0.08; P=.002, d=0.63) as well as a statistically significant improvement in problem-focused coping self-efficacy (b=0.42, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.85; P=.049, d=0.42). Long-term use of the app provided consistent and sustained reductions in burnout symptoms including the level of exhaustion and emotional impairment. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that introducing an app-based stress management intervention can be feasible and successfully implemented to reduce burnout symptoms and enhance coping self-efficacy.

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Use of a mHealth Mobile Application to Reduce Stress in Adults with Autism: a Pre-Post Pilot Study of the Stress Autism Mate (SAM)

Cited by 3 publications

References 32 publications

Autism Spectrum Disorder detection framework for children based on federated learning integrated CNN-LSTM

Autism Spectrum Disorder detection framework for children based on federated learning integrated CNN-LSTM

Assessing the Effectiveness of STAPP@Work, a Self-Management Mobile App, in Reducing Work Stress and Preventing Burnout: Single-Case Experimental Design Study

Assessing the Effectiveness of STAPP@Work, a Self-Management Mobile App, in Reducing Work Stress and Preventing Burnout: Single-Case Experimental Design Study (Preprint)

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