The Management of Work-Disability Associated With Co-Morbid Pain and Depression: A Feasibility Study

The behavioral activation component of the treatment program focused on goal setting, structuring and scheduling activities, increasing success and achievement experiences, and problem-solving. In order to maximize the impact of behavioral activation on disability reduction, goal setting and scheduling of activities focused primarily on resumption of discontinued activities as opposed to focusing on the scheduling of pleasant activities. One objective of goal setting and activity scheduling was to reduce the discrepancy between the client's pre-injury activity repertoire and the client's current activity repertoire. Behavioral activation was supplemented by a collection of techniques designed to reduce catastrophic thinking and perceptions of injustice, two psychosocial risk factors that have been shown to contribute to prolonged work-absence.