Abstract
BackgroundStress management in the workplace is essential for a healthy mental and physical state. Due to technological advancements, individually tailored therapy and online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are on the rise.ObjectiveThis study analyzed the efficacy of a smartphone app based on third-wave CBT tailored to an individual.MethodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted with 126 participants who were divided into 2 groups. The intervention group used the smartphone app BetterLife for 10 weeks, while the control group was placed on a waiting list for the same duration. The Perceived Stress Scale–10 (PSS), Korean Utrecht Work Engagement Scale–9 (UWES), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL), Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were administered at baseline and after 10 weeks to both groups.ResultsOf the 126 participants, 11 dropped out during the trial. A 2-way repeated measure analysis of covariance was conducted, controlling for baseline BDI. There were greater improvements in PSS (F=24.33, P<.001, η2=0.17) and UWESK scores (F=8.32, P=.0046, η2=0.06) in the intervention group than in the control group. WHOQOL scores exhibited statistically significant improvement in the intervention group in the overall quality of life (F=8.19, P=.0049, η2=0.06), physical health (F=8.87, P=.003, η2=0.07), psychological health (F=13.32, P<.001, η2=0.10), social relationships (F=19.43, P<.001, η2=0.14), and environmental domains (F=10.14, P=.002, η2=0.08) but not overall health (F=1.68, P=.20). BDI (F=7.17, P=.008, η2=0.06) and BAI (F=6.00, P=.02, η2=0.05) showed a statistically significant improvement in the intervention group, but this significance did not survive the Bonferroni correction (P<.005).ConclusionsThese results provide evidence that smartphone-based CBT is a viable option for reducing stress in the workplace.Trial RegistrationClinical Research Information Service KCT0003231; https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do/15137
Highlights
Stress management is undoubtedly crucial to the mental health as well as physical health of individuals
There were no significant differences in age, gender ratio, education level, marital status, alcohol consumption, smoking, company size, work field, type of employment, job grade, direct customer complaint handling, workdays, work hours, work experience, and late days, early leave days, and absent days in the past month between the intervention and control groups (Table 1)
There were no significant differences in Perceived Stress Scale–10 (PSS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale–9 (UWES), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL), Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores (Table 2)
Summary
Stress management is undoubtedly crucial to the mental health as well as physical health of individuals. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 126 participants who were divided into 2 groups. The Perceived Stress Scale–10 (PSS), Korean Utrecht Work Engagement Scale–9 (UWES), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL), Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were administered at baseline and after 10 weeks to both groups. There were greater improvements in PSS (F=24.33, P
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