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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02396797

Effect Evaluation of a Workplace Intervention Targeting Subjective Health Complaints

Mental disorders is one of the most frequent causes of long-term sick leave and disability pensions in Norway, and there is a need for a comprehensive, coordinated response from health and social sectors at the country level to address the burden of mental disorders. The aim of this project is to investigate if a workplace intervention with the aim to increase coping of common mental health complaints and social support can reduce sick leave and improve health.

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Key information

Conditions

Mental Disorders Anxiety Anxiety Disorders Back Pain Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Depression Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Personal Satisfaction Psychological Well-Being Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–67 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Torill Helene Tveito

Bergen, Norway

About this study

The atWork intervention was established in 2007 as a new stepped-care approach to musculoskeletal complaints. The intervention consisted of workplace information meetings about musculoskeletal complaint to all employees and peer support. The atWork intervention targeting musculoskeletal complaints reduced sick leave and improved health in a randomized controlled trial. The atWork intervention has now been further developed with the aim to increase effect on sick leave and health. The intervention is now extended to include information about mental health complaints, in addition to a management course. The major societal costs and the negative consequences common mental health complaints induce underline the importance of testing if atWork is an effective way of reducing these consequences.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Norwegian primary education unit.
  • Participants must be employed in one of the Norwegian primary education units participating in the study.
  • Participants must have sufficient Norwegian reading and writing skills.

Exclusion criteria

  • The organization has received the atWork intervention at an earlier time.
  • Participants are not employed in one of the participating organizations.
  • Participants do not have sufficient Norwegian reading and writing skills.

Treatment and study plan

The new atWork intervention

Behavioral

atWork is a cognitive intervention, and uses a nondirective delivery approach. It does not prescribe any change in lifestyle, but aims at establishing an understanding of common complaints and what to do when pain and health complaints occur. All information is based on the non-injury model, where pain and complaints are not signs of injury caused by wrongdoing or "inappropriate" behavior. The consistent take home message from all parts of the intervention is that keeping up usual activities, including going to work, is beneficial for health and recovery. This group will receive one management course, two workplace courses for all employees targeting mild mental disorders and nonspecific musculoskeletal complaints, and one reflection and review meeting.

The original atWork intervention

Behavioral

This group will receive three workplace courses for all employees targeting nonspecific musculoskeletal complaints, and peer support. Peer support involves selecting a peer advisor at the workplace. A peer advisor is a fellow worker without former medical training who as part of the atWork intervention receive more in-depth medical knowledge and training about nonspecific musculoskeletal complaints. The peer advisors role is to give social support and to use their local knowledge of the work place to facilitate staying at work for colleagues with health complaints.

Primary outcomes

  1. Sick leave, unit level

    Time frame: 1 year

    Sick leave at unit level will be collected through registry data from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare administration (NAV). Thus, we will collect data from all employees in participating units (approximately 100 units), not only the employees responding to questionnaires.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Coping Expectancies; Theoretically Originated Measure of the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress, TOMCATS

    Time frame: 1 year

    All employees will be asked to complete questionnaires, one before the intervention and at 12 months follow-up.

  2. Health; self-rated health, Subjective Health Complaints Inventory, SHC, Hopkins Symptom Checklist, HSCL-10

    Time frame: 1 year

  3. Job Satisfaction; Global Job Satisfaction, GJO, Demand-Control-Support-Questionnaire, short Swedish version

    Time frame: 1 year

  4. Social Support; Non directive and Directive Support Survey, NDSS-16.

    Time frame: 1 year

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS

Other

Collaborators

  • The Hospital of Vestfold

Registry information

Official study title

Effect Evaluation of a Workplace Intervention Targeting Subjective Health Complaints on Sick Leave, Coping, Health, Job Satisfaction and Social Support

Acronym: atWork

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Mar 24, 2015
Registry last updated
May 15, 2018

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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