Work-anxiety-coping intervention improves work-coping perception while a recreational intervention leads to deterioration: Results from a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Work-anxieties are costly and need early intervention. The perception of being able to cope with work is a basic requirement for work ability. This randomized controlled trial investigates whether a cognitive behavioural, work-anxiety coping group intervention leads to better workcoping perception than an unspecific recreational group.Heterogeneous people in medical rehabilitation, who were due to return to work, were interviewed concerning their work-anxieties, and either randomly assigned to a work-anxiety coping group (n=85) or a recreational group (n=95). The participants (with an average of 50 years old (range 23-64); 51% women; 70% workers or employees, 25% academics, 5% unskilled) followed the group intervention for four or six sessions. The perceived work-coping was assessed by self-rating (Inventory for Job-Coping and Return Intention JoCoRi) after each group session.Although participants had a slight temporary decrease in work-coping after group session two (from M1=2.47 to M2 =2.28,, the work-anxiety coping group led to the improvement of perceived work-coping over the intervention course (from M1=2.47 to M6=2.65, dCohen=0.18).In contrast, participants from the recreational group reported lower work-coping after six group sessions (from M1=2.26 to M6=2.02,.It is considered that people with work-anxieties need training in work-coping. By focusing on recreation only, this may lead to deterioration of work-coping. Indeed, intervention designers should be aware of temporary deterioration (side-effects) when confronting participants with work-coping.

Group therapists: combine alliance building with paying specific attention to the patient’s perception

“…Groups were organized with a slowopen intake procedure. This work-directed CBT group intervention leads to improved work coping and shorter sick leave duration for some patients in the following 6 months compared with a recreational group (Muschalla, 2017;Muschalla et al, 2016). The present analysis is an addition to these global findings and it analyses the therapy outcomes at the level of group sessions.…”

“…a multi-modal treatment for people with chronic health problems. The criterion for participation in this group therapy was a specific work-anxiety disorder (Muschalla, 2017;Muschalla et al, 2016) and patients had to be of working age (18-65 years old). There was no other psychotherapy intervention besides the group treatment investigated here, i.e.…”

“…Each group session concentrated on one therapy topic. Typical topics were calming oneself when being nervous at work, handling a great amount of work, working together with colleagues and supervisors, presenting one's own health problem, or solving problems and conflicts actively at work (Muschalla, 2017). In 125 sessions, a co-therapist was present; in 76 sessions a psychologist was present, and in 49 sessions another psychotherapist (behaviour therapy) who had 8 years of practical professional experience was present.…”

“…The work-coping group was a manualized modular CBT group (Muschalla, 2017;Muschalla et al, 2016b). It has been conceptualized by experts for treating work anxieties and is based on evaluated cognitive behavioural anxiety therapy approaches (Clark and Beck, 2009;Koch et al, 2007).…”

“…Short-term psychotherapies with 4-18 sessions have proven successful (e.g. Abbass et al, 2012;Muschalla, 2017). The level of change in psychotherapy is reached by a log linear rather than a constant pattern of change, which means that the first 4-6 sessions hold importance in terms of an initial improvement (Stulz et al, 2013).…”