Stress, Psychological
Conditions
Brief summary
Psychosocial stress increases the risk for a multitude of diseases, including obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Stress may also result in increased utilization of health care services. In the workplace, stress leads to emotional exhaustion, job dissatisfaction, lower productivity and impaired performance. Stress management programs and those based on mindfulness meditation have gained popularity in recent years. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of an 8-week web-based mindfulness stress reduction program and its effectiveness in reducing work related stress and improving well-being in a large corporate call center.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALWeb-based Stress Management Program (WSM)
The intervention, developed by the Cleveland Clinic, is an 8-week online, interactive, educational program based on mindfulness meditation. Briefly, each week subjects are introduced to the (1) weekly audio introduction to the mindfulness theme or particular meditation technique of the week, (2) weekly audio meditation techniques for relaxation, (3) daily articles providing scientific evidence and merits of meditation, and (4) bi-weekly email reminders. The introductory talks and meditation exercises were also provided on compact discs (CD) in mp3 format.
BEHAVIORALGroup Support (WSMg1)
Subjects will meet once per week for 1 hour during the 8-week duration and practice 2-minutes of deep breathing exercises, listen to 10-minutes audio recording of the weekly lesson and practice 20-30 minutes guided meditation exercise. The remainder of the time will be used to foster sharing experiences and answering specific questions related to the weekly lesson.
BEHAVIORALClinical Expert Support (WSMg2)
A clinical psychologist will replace the non-expert facilitator during 4 group support sessions.
Sponsors
The Cleveland Clinic
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Frontline employee of large corporate call center * Internet access
Exclusion criteria
* Manager or supervisor of large corporate call center
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| To see whether a one-hour weekly group at work enhances engagement. | 8 weeks | Engagement assessed by measuring number of weeks participants actively accessed the intervention website. |
| To see whether a one-hour weekly group at work enhances amount of meditation practice. | 8 weeks | Outcome measured by self-reported average amount of weekly meditation practice. |
| To see whether a one-hour weekly group at work improves mindfulness. | 8 week | Outcome measured using Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MASS) questionnaire. |
| To see whether a one-hour weekly group at work reduces stress. | 8 weeks | Outcome measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10) questionnaire. |
| To see whether a one-hour weekly group at work decreases burnout. | 8 weeks | Outcome measured using Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) questionnaire. |
| Assess whether an 8-week mindfulness stress reduction online program is effective in improving mindfulness. | 8 weeks | Outcome measured using Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) questionnaire. |
| Assess whether an 8-week mindfulness stress reduction online program is effective in reducing stress mindfulness. | 8 weeks | Outcome measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10) questionnaire. |
| Assess whether an 8-week mindfulness stress reduction online program is effective in decreasing burnout mindfulness. | 8 weeks | Outcome measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Assess whether the program leads to an increase in work productivity. | 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and 1 year | Productivity assessed using the call center composite measure of productivity computed monthly for each call service associate. |
| Assess if the program is effective at increasing vitality. | 8 weeks, 16 weeks, 1 year | Outcome measured using vitality subscale of the RAND Corporation's Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF36). |
| Assess if the program is effective at increasing emotional role functioning. | 8 weeks, 16 weeks, 1 year | Outcome measured using emotional role functioning subscale of the RAND Corporation's Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF36). |
| Assess if the program is effective at increasing emotional well-being. | 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and 1 year | Outcome measured using emotional well-being subscale of the RAND Corporation's Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF36). |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed