Quality of life and client satisfaction as outcomes of the Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO) programme for women with stress-related disorders: a comparative study.

OBJECTIVE

The outcomes, in terms of quality of life and satisfaction with rehabilitation, of the 16-week Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO) programme as a work rehabilitation method for women with stress-related disorders was evaluated. It was hypothesised that, compared to women who got Care as Usual (CAU), the ReDO group would improve their quality of life and self-mastery more, and that those differences would prevail at follow-ups after 6 and 12 months. Another hypothesis was that the ReDO group would be more satisfied than the CAU group with the rehabilitation received.

PARTICIPANTS

Forty-two women were recruited to the ReDO intervention and a matched comparison group got CAU.

METHODS

The data consisted of self-ratings of quality of life, self-mastery and satisfaction with the work rehabilitation received.

RESULTS

The first hypothesis was only partially verified. No general group differences were identified, but closer examination indicated different trajectories in the two groups. There was an increase in quality of life in the ReDO group from baseline to completion of the work rehabilitation, and further increase at the six-month follow-up, while the quality of life in the CAU group was stable over time. Regarding self-mastery there was an increase from baseline to completed rehabilitation in the ReDO group but a pronounced decrease in the CAU group. Thereafter the group differences levelled out. The second hypothesis was verified. The ratings of client satisfaction were considerably higher in the ReDO group.

CONCLUSION

The ReDO seems a promising work rehabilitation method for strengthening quality of life and self-mastery for the target group. Future research should include larger groups and be based on randomised controlled designs.