Stächele Tobias, Domes Gregor, Wekenborg Magdalena, Penz Marlene, Kirschbaum Clemens, Heinrichs Markus
Laboratory for Biological and Personality Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Outpatient Psychotherapy Clinic and Research Unit for Stress-Related Disorders, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Front Psychiatry. 2020 May 25;11:463. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00463. eCollection 2020.
Occupational stress management intervention programs are known to be effective in preventing stress-related health burden. Two essential mechanisms underlie this effect: (i) a reduction in perceived stress (e.g., relaxation-oriented techniques), and (ii) an improvement in coping skills (e.g., cognitive-behavioral interventions). While relaxation-oriented interventions are more frequently employed in occupational settings, cognitive-behavioral stress management interventions reveal stronger effects on stress-related outcomes. As an effective and economic strategy, the dissemination of stress management programs the internet is soaring, but most internet-based programs focus on relaxation or reducing perceived stress. In the present study, we examined the effects of a self-guided, cognitive-behavioral 6-week Internet-Based Stress Management (IBSM) program on perceived stress, coping skills, emotional exhaustion, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. The IBSM consists of six modules focusing on the improvement of stress management skills such as dealing with acute stress, building up resources, or reappraising stress-facilitating cognitions. The participants have to work through the content on a weekly basis, requiring about 30 min per week followed by a transfer task lasting another 30 min. Healthy employees reporting elevated stress were recruited over the Internet and then randomly assigned to the IBSM group or a waiting list control group. A total of 134 participants completed all assessments before and after the training or waiting period. The IBSM group reported lower subjective stress levels after the program than the control group. In addition, the IBSM group exhibited improved coping skills and better sleep quality. Emotional exhaustion was reduced in both groups, while depressive symptoms did not change. These results suggest that a brief, 6-week, cognitive-behavioral internet-based stress management program improves coping skills, sleep quality, and well-being, and reduces the perceived stress of employees. Our results might encourage large-scale studies on the long-term stability and clinical efficacy of internet-based programs. The trial is registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00014837) URL. https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00014837.
职业压力管理干预项目在预防与压力相关的健康负担方面已被证明是有效的。这种效果有两个基本机制：（i）感知压力的降低（例如，以放松为导向的技巧），以及（ii）应对技能的提高（例如，认知行为干预）。虽然以放松为导向的干预在职业环境中更常被采用，但认知行为压力管理干预对与压力相关的结果显示出更强的效果。作为一种有效且经济的策略，通过互联网传播压力管理项目的情况正在迅速增加，但大多数基于互联网的项目侧重于放松或降低感知压力。在本研究中，我们考察了一个为期6周的基于互联网的自我引导式认知行为压力管理（IBSM）项目对感知压力、应对技能、情绪耗竭、抑郁症状和睡眠质量的影响。IBSM由六个模块组成，重点在于提高压力管理技能，如应对急性压力、积累资源或重新评估促进压力的认知。参与者必须每周学习相关内容，每周大约需要30分钟，随后还有一个持续30分钟的迁移任务。通过互联网招募了报告压力升高的健康员工，然后将他们随机分配到IBSM组或等待名单对照组。共有134名参与者在培训期或等待期前后完成了所有评估。IBSM组在项目结束后报告的主观压力水平低于对照组。此外，IBSM组的应对技能得到改善，睡眠质量更好。两组的情绪耗竭都有所降低，而抑郁症状没有变化。这些结果表明，一个为期6周的简短基于互联网的认知行为压力管理项目能提高应对技能、睡眠质量和幸福感，并降低员工的感知压力。我们的结果可能会鼓励对基于互联网项目的长期稳定性和临床疗效进行大规模研究。该试验已在德国临床试验注册中心（DRKS00014837）注册。网址：https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00014837
