This study is a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted within the Support4Resilience (S4R) project, aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured resilience intervention ("toolbox") in improving mental wellbeing among healthcare workers in elderly care settings.
The study is conducted in two countries, Norway and Finland, and includes a total of 30 clusters (15 per country). Clusters are defined as organizational units within elderly care settings (each municipality has 1 or more units), within which leaders and healthcare workers participate jointly in the intervention. The average cluster size is approximately 30 healthcare workers.
The intervention is designed as a leader-supported, practice-oriented program consisting of a series of structured workshops in which leaders and healthcare workers collaboratively engage with and implement tools targeting mental wellbeing organizational resilience. The toolbox includes strategies to enhance coping, communication, reflection, and supportive work practices. The intervention is implemented at the cluster level, reflecting its organizational focus and minimizing contamination between participants.
Clusters are randomized to either the intervention group or a control group. Clusters allocated to the intervention group receive access to the Support4Resilience toolbox and participate in a sequence of five main workshops, followed by a final workshop focused on reflection and discussion of results. The intervention is delivered over a period of approximately 12 months. The timing of workshops is adapted to local organizational needs, but they are generally conducted at intervals of approximately 2-3 months. Between workshops, participants are encouraged to apply and integrate the toolbox components into daily practice. Clusters in the control group continue with usual practice and do not receive access to the toolbox during the study period.
Data are collected at six time points: one baseline assessment prior to the start of the intervention and five follow-up assessments conducted after each of the main workshops. This repeated-measures design allows for the evaluation of both overall intervention effects and changes over time.
The primary outcome is mental wellbeing, measured using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Secondary outcomes include burnout, assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and intention to leave the job, measured using the Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire (MOAQ). All outcomes are collected through self-administered questionnaires. Based on expected participation patterns, a response rate of at least 30% across all six measurement points is anticipated.
Due to the nature of the intervention, participants and implementers cannot be blinded to group allocation. However, outcome assessment is standardized across groups and time points using validated instruments, and statistical analyses will be conducted according to a predefined analysis plan.
Assuming an intra-cluster correlation coefficient of 0.05, this design is expected to provide adequate power to detect a moderate intervention effect on the primary outcome, while accounting for clustering. The repeated-measures design and use of mixed-effects models are expected to further improve efficiency by incorporating all available observations over time.
The findings of this study are expected to provide robust evidence on the effectiveness of organizational and leadership-supported interventions to promote mental wellbeing and resilience among healthcare workers in elderly care, and to inform future implementation and scale-up across different healthcare systems.
