Title
Web-based guided self-help for employees with depressive symptoms (Happy@Work): Design of a randomized controlled trial
Author
Geraedts, A.S.
Kleiboer, A.M.
Wiezer, N.M.
van Mechelen, W.
Cuijpers, P.
Publication year
2013
Abstract
Background: Depressive disorders are highly prevalent in the working population and are associated with excessive costs for both society and companies. Effective treatment for employees with depressive symptoms in occupational health care is limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an indicated preventive web-based guided self-help course for employees with depressive symptoms. Methods: The study is a two-arm randomized controlled trial comparing a web-based guided self-help course with care-as-usual. The self-help course consists of 6 weekly lessons. Weekly support will be provided by a coach via the website. Subjects in the care-as-usual group do not receive any treatment in addition to regular care. 200 white collar workers from several national and international companies in the Netherlands will be recruited via different methods such as banners on the company's intranet, pamphlets and posters. Subjects will be included when they: have elevated depressive symptoms (score ≥16 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale), are 18 years of age or older, have access to the Internet and can be contacted via e-mail. Exclusion criteria are: partial or full work absenteeism, a legal labor dispute with the employer and receiving treatment from the company's occupational health care at study entrance.The primary outcome is depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes include work absenteeism, work performance, burnout, anxiety, quality of life, health care use and production losses. Outcome data will be collected at 8 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after baseline. Analyses will be based on the intention-to-treat principle. The cost-effectiveness analyses will be performed from a societal and a company's perspective. A process evaluation will be conducted alongside the study.Discussion: This study evaluates the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a web-based guided self-help course for employees with depressive symptoms. This study could stimulate the use of e-mental health interventions in the worksite setting.Trial registration: Nederlands Trial Register (NTR): TC2993. © 2013 Geraedts et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Subject
BSS - Behavioural and Societal Sciences
Organisation
Healthy Living
Work and Employment
Absenteeism
Cognitive therapy
Depression
Employees
Internet
Occupational therapy
Problem solving
Randomized trial.
Self-help
absenteeism
anxiety
article
burnout
computer program
controlled study
cost effectiveness analysis
depression
e-mail
health care cost
health care utilization
health economics
human
intranet
job performance
major clinical study
Netherlands
occupational disease
outcome assessment
psychotherapy
quality of life
randomized controlled trial
self help
social support
WH - Work & Health
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:6f24ad4f-5660-4da2-946c-3e32ad36ae86
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244x-13-61
TNO identifier
471484
ISSN
1471-244X
Source
BMC Psychiatry, 13 (13)
Document type
article