Cost-Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and a Workplace Intervention for Employees on Sickness Absence due to Mental Disorders

Mediators during a Multimodal intervention for stress-induced exhaustion disorder

Our understanding of the underlying psychological processes of development, maintenance, and treatments for stress-induced exhaustion disorder (ED) remains limited. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore whether sleep concerns, pathological worry, perfectionistic concerns, and psychological flexibility mediate change in exhaustion symptoms during a Multimodal intervention for ED based on Cognitive behavioral therapy principles. Participants (N = 913) were assessed at three time points, and mediation was explored using a two-criteria analytical model with linear mixed-effects models (criterion one) and random intercepts cross-lagged panel modeling (criterion 2). Criterion one for mediation was successfully met, as the findings indicated significant associations between time in treatment, with all suggested mediators, and exhaustion symptoms (significant ab-products). However, criterion two was not satisfied as changes in the mediators did not precede changes in exhaustion symptoms. Therefore, mediation could not be established. Instead, changes in the suggested mediators appeared to result from changes in exhaustion symptoms. Consequently, sleep concerns, pathological worry, perfectionistic concerns, and psychological flexibility appear to improve in conjunction with exhaustion symptoms during treatment, where improvement in exhaustion is indicated as the main driving factor, based on this exploratory analysis. The implications of these findings are contextualized within a broader framework of process-based therapy.

Psychological Treatment of Exhaustion Due to Persistent Non-Traumatic Stress: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Exhaustion due to persistent non-traumatic stress (ENTS) is a significant health problem with substantial personal, social, and economic impact. While there are increasing studies of ENTS, there is no international agreement on how it should be diagnosed and treated. This scoping review aimed to map definitions, diagnoses, treatments, outcome measures, and outcomes in psychological treatment studies of ENTS. A further aim was to assess the quality of the treatments and map what change processes are described within ENTS interventions.

METHODS

A PRISMA-guided scoping review of psychological treatment studies delivered in a clinical setting for ENTS was conducted using the databases of PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL.

RESULTS

Of the 60 studies included, the majority (87%) stemmed from Europe. The most recurrent term for ENTS was burnout, and the diagnosis most often utilized was exhaustion disorder. Several treatments were reported, the most frequent being cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (68%). Statistically significant outcomes relevant to ENTS were reported in 65% (n = 39) of the studies, with effect sizes between 0.13 and 1.80. In addition, 28% of the treatments were rated as high quality. The most frequent change processes described were dysfunctional sleep, avoidance, behavioral activation, irrational thoughts and beliefs, worry, perceived competence/positive management, psychological flexibility, and recuperation.

CONCLUSIONS

While several treatments based on CBT show promising results for ENTS, there do not seem to be any uniformly established methods, theoretical models, or change processes. Instead of adopting a monocausal, syndromal, and potentially bio-reductionist perspective on ENTS, a process-based approach to treatment is encouraged.

The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a transdiagnostic intervention for transitional-age youth: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Although the prevalence of psychological problems in transitional-age youth (i.e., youth aged 15 to 25; TAY) is high, TAY are much less likely to receive age-appropriate treatments for their psychological problems compared to younger adolescents or older adults. Hence, effective interventions for TAY seem warranted. ACT your way is a transdiagnostic treatment, specifically developed for TAY, based on the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT your way is not directed primarily at symptom reduction, but mainly aims to change the underlying mechanism of psychopathology, namely increasing TAY's psychological flexibility. Meta-analyses show that ACT is an effective treatment for adults with diverse types of psychopathology. Less is known about the effectiveness of ACT for TAY. Therefore, the goal of this study is to examine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ACT your way. In addition, we will investigate for whom and under what circumstances (i.e., moderators) and how (i.e., mediators) the intervention is (most) effective.

METHOD

The study is designed as a multi-centre, randomized controlled trial. In total, 140 TAY diagnosed with any psychological disorder will be randomly assigned to either the ACT your way or treatment as usual (TAU) condition. In total, six assessments will be conducted: at baseline, after 3, 6 and 9 sessions, at post-intervention and at 6-month follow-up, using multiple informants (TAY, parents/caregivers, therapists). Assessments will include diagnostic interviews and questionnaires. The primary outcomes are psychological flexibility and number of DSM-5 diagnoses; the secondary outcomes are the presence of the primary DSM-5 diagnosis, psychopathology, personality problems, global, individual and societal functioning, quality of life, stress, treatment satisfaction, treatment drop-out and therapeutic alliance. We will also assess costs and various moderators (i.e., demographic characteristics, type and severity of problems, psychopathology of parents/caregivers, treatment expectancy and previous treatments) and mediators (i.e., psychological flexibility, emotion regulation, self-compassion, autonomy, perfectionism, self-esteem and group cohesion).

DISCUSSION

To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the (cost-)effectiveness of ACT compared to TAU in clinically referred TAY with various types of psychopathology, using a rigorous design.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The research project is registered in the Dutch Trial Register (Trial NL9642).

Exhaustion disorder: scoping review of research on a recently introduced stress-related diagnosis

BACKGROUND

Symptoms related to chronic stress are prevalent and entail high societal costs, yet there is a lack of international consensus regarding diagnostics and treatment. A new stress-related diagnosis, exhaustion disorder, was introduced into the Swedish version of ICD-10 in 2005. Since then, use of the diagnosis has increased rapidly.

AIMS

To create the first comprehensive synthesis of research on exhaustion disorder to report on the current state of knowledge. Preregistration: Open Science Framework (http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">osf.io), doi 10.17605/OSF.IO/VFDKW.

METHOD

A PRISMA-guided scoping review of all empirical studies of exhaustion disorder was conducted. Searches were run in the MEDLINE, PsycInfo and Web of Science databases. Data were systematically charted and thematically categorised based on primary area of investigation.

RESULTS

Eighty-nine included studies were sorted into six themes relating to lived experience of exhaustion disorder (n = 9), symptom presentation and course (n = 13), cognitive functioning (n = 10), biological measures (n = 24), symptom measurement scales (n = 4) and treatment (n = 29). Several studies indicated that individuals with exhaustion disorder experience a range of psychiatric and somatic symptoms beyond fatigue, but robust findings within most thematic categories were scarce. The limited number of studies, lack of replication of findings and methodological limitations (e.g. small samples and scarcity of specified primary outcomes) preclude firm conclusions about the diagnostic construct.

CONCLUSIONS

More research is needed to build a solid knowledge base for exhaustion disorder. International collaboration regarding the conceptualisation of chronic stress and fatigue is warranted to accelerate the growth of evidence.

Evidence for the Cost-Effectiveness of Return-to-Work Interventions for Mental Illness Related Sickness Absences: A Systematic Literature Review

Purpose The purpose of this systematic literature review (SLR) is to examine the state of knowledge about the cost-effectiveness of return-to-work (RTW) interventions targeted at workers with medically certified sickness absences related to mental disorders. Our SLR addresses the question, "What is the evidence for the cost-effectiveness of RTW interventions for mental illness related sickness absences?" Methods This SLR used a reviewer pair multi-phase screening of publically available peer-reviewed studies published between 2002 and 2019. Five electronic databases were searched: (1) MEDLINE 1946-Present, (2) MEDLINE: Epub-Ahead of Print and In-Process, (3) PsycINFO, (4) Econlit, and (5) Web of Science. Results 6138 unique citations were identified. Ten articles were included in the review. Eight of the ten studies were conducted in the Netherlands, one in Sweden, and one in Canada. Results of this SLR suggest there is evidence that RTW interventions for workers with medically certified sickness absences can be cost-effective. Conclusions Although this SLR's results suggest that economic evaluations of RTW interventions can be cost-effective, the use of economic evaluations for studies of these program types is in its infancy. Some jurisdictions (e.g., the Netherlands) seem to have recognized the need for economic evaluations. However, more research is needed in different disability system contexts. Furthermore, use of the standard economic evaluation approaches for healthcare interventions may limit the usefulness of results if the end-user is an employer or non-health organization. This may present the opportunity to introduce newer approaches that include work-related measures of effectiveness and analytical approaches.

Adults living with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): A qualitative systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To consolidate existing qualitative studies which examined the experiences and needs of adults living with IBS, and to gather a holistic insight for future directions and avenues to support these adults.

METHODS

A qualitative systematic review was conducted and six databases were searched for qualitative studies, beginning from each database's inception to July 2020. The qualitative data were meta-synthesised and thematic analysis was adopted. Any discrepancies that arose were discussed between the reviewers until a consensus was reached throughout the process of data screening, selection, critical appraisal and synthesis.

RESULTS

Seventeen studies with a total of 299 adults diagnosed with IBS were included. Four themes were identified: (1) physical, psychological, and social consequences; (2) impact of IBS on working adults; (3) dealing with IBS; and (4) sources of support and support needs.

CONCLUSION

Future research across geographically diverse locations are needed to gather a thorough perspective of the experiences and needs of adults living with IBS. The development and evaluation of technology-based, trained peer-led volunteers, and interventions that adopt mindfulness, active coping strategies, cognitive behavioural therapy and acceptance, and commitment therapy are needed. Ultimately, the collaboration between the relevant stakeholders is essential for standardised instruments and materials for accurate testing, diagnosis, assessment, treatment and management of IBS.

Interventions to improve return to work in depressed people

BACKGROUND

Work disability such as sickness absence is common in people with depression.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing work disability in employees with depressive disorders.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO until April 4th 2020.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster-RCTs of work-directed and clinical interventions for depressed people that included days of sickness absence or being off work as an outcome. We also analysed the effects on depression and work functioning.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently extracted the data and rated the certainty of the evidence using GRADE. We used standardised mean differences (SMDs) or risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to pool study results in studies we judged to be sufficiently similar.  MAIN RESULTS: In this update, we added 23 new studies. In total, we included 45 studies with 88 study arms, involving 12,109 participants with either a major depressive disorder or a high level of depressive symptoms. Risk of bias The most common types of bias risk were detection bias (27 studies) and attrition bias (22 studies), both for the outcome of sickness absence. Work-directed interventions Work-directed interventions combined with clinical interventions A combination of a work-directed intervention and a clinical intervention probably reduces days of sickness absence within the first year of follow-up (SMD -0.25, 95% CI -0.38 to -0.12; 9 studies; moderate-certainty evidence). This translates back to 0.5 fewer (95% CI -0.7 to -0.2) sick leave days in the past two weeks or 25 fewer days during one year (95% CI -37.5 to -11.8). The intervention does not lead to fewer persons being off work beyond one year follow-up (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.09; 2 studies, high-certainty evidence). The intervention may reduce depressive symptoms (SMD -0.25, 95% CI -0.49 to -0.01; 8 studies, low-certainty evidence) and probably has a small effect on work functioning (SMD -0.19, 95% CI -0.42 to 0.06; 5 studies, moderate-certainty evidence) within the first year of follow-up.  Stand alone work-directed interventions A specific work-directed intervention alone may increase the number of sickness absence days compared with work-directed care as usual (SMD 0.39, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.74; 2 studies, low-certainty evidence) but probably does not lead to more people being off work within the first year of follow-up (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.11; 1 study, moderate-certainty evidence) or beyond (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.22; 2 studies, moderate-certainty evidence). There is probably no effect on depressive symptoms (SMD -0.10, 95% -0.30 CI to 0.10; 4 studies, moderate-certainty evidence) within the first year of follow-up and there may be no effect on depressive symptoms beyond that time (SMD 0.18, 95% CI -0.13 to 0.49; 1 study, low-certainty evidence). The intervention may also not lead to better work functioning (SMD -0.32, 95% CI -0.90 to 0.26; 1 study, low-certainty evidence) within the first year of follow-up.   Psychological interventions A psychological intervention, either face-to-face, or an E-mental health intervention, with or without professional guidance, may reduce the number of sickness absence days, compared with care as usual (SMD -0.15, 95% CI -0.28 to -0.03; 9 studies, low-certainty evidence). It may also reduce depressive symptoms (SMD -0.30, 95% CI -0.45 to -0.15, 8 studies, low-certainty evidence). We are uncertain whether these psychological interventions improve work ability (SMD -0.15 95% CI -0.46 to 0.57; 1 study; very low-certainty evidence). Psychological intervention combined with antidepressant medication Two studies compared the effect of a psychological intervention combined with antidepressants to antidepressants alone. One study combined psychodynamic therapy with tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) medication and another combined telephone-administered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). We are uncertain if this intervention reduces the number of sickness absence days (SMD -0.38, 95% CI -0.99 to 0.24; 2 studies, very low-certainty evidence) but found that there may be no effect on depressive symptoms (SMD -0.19, 95% CI -0.50 to 0.12; 2 studies, low-certainty evidence). Antidepressant medication only Three studies compared the effectiveness of SSRI to selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) medication on reducing sickness absence and yielded highly inconsistent results. Improved care Overall, interventions to improve care did not lead to fewer days of sickness absence, compared to care as usual (SMD -0.05, 95% CI -0.16 to 0.06; 7 studies, moderate-certainty evidence). However, in studies with a low risk of bias, the intervention probably leads to fewer days of sickness absence in the first year of follow-up (SMD -0.20, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.05; 2 studies; moderate-certainty evidence). Improved care probably leads to fewer depressive symptoms (SMD -0.21, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.07; 7 studies, moderate-certainty evidence) but may possibly lead to a decrease in work-functioning (SMD 0.5, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.66; 1 study; moderate-certainty evidence). Exercise Supervised strength exercise may reduce sickness absence, compared to relaxation (SMD -1.11; 95% CI -1.68 to -0.54; one study, low-certainty evidence). However, aerobic exercise probably is not more effective than relaxation or stretching (SMD -0.06; 95% CI -0.36 to 0.24; 2 studies, moderate-certainty evidence). Both studies found no differences between the two conditions in depressive symptoms.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

A combination of a work-directed intervention and a clinical intervention probably reduces the number of sickness absence days, but at the end of one year or longer follow-up, this does not lead to more people in the intervention group being at work. The intervention may also reduce depressive symptoms and probably increases work functioning more than care as usual. Specific work-directed interventions may not be more effective than usual work-directed care alone. Psychological interventions may reduce the number of sickness absence days, compared with care as usual. Interventions to improve clinical care probably lead to lower sickness absence and lower levels of depression, compared with care as usual. There was no evidence of a difference in effect on sickness absence of one antidepressant medication compared to another. Further research is needed to assess which combination of work-directed and clinical interventions works best.

Stakeholders' Role and Actions in the Return-to-Work Process of Workers on Sick-Leave Due to Common Mental Disorders: A Scoping Review

The lack of knowledge regarding the roles and actions of return to work (RTW) stakeholders create confusion and uncertainty about how and when to RTW after experiencing a common mental disorder (CMD). Purpose The purpose of this scoping review is to disentangle the various stakeholders' role and actions in the RTW process of workers on sick-leave due to CMDs. The research question is: What is documented in the existing literature regarding the roles and actions of the identified stakeholders involved in the RTW process of workers on sick-leave due to CMDs? Methods In conducting this scoping review, we followed Arksey and O'Malley's (Int J Soc Res Methodol 8:19-32, 2005) methodology, consisting of different stages (e.g., charting the data by categorizing key results). Results 3709 articles were screened for inclusion, 243 of which were included for qualitative synthesis. Several RTW stakeholders (n=11) were identified (e.g., workers on sick leave due to CMDs, managers, union representatives, rehabilitation professionals, insurers, return to work coordinators). RTW stakeholders' roles and actions inter- and intra-system were recommended, either general (e.g., know and understand the perspectives of all RTW stakeholders) or specific to an actor (e.g., the return to work coordinator needs to create and maintain a working alliance between all RTW stakeholders). Furthermore, close to 200 stakeholders' actions, spread out on different RTW phases, were recommended for facilitating the RTW process. Conclusions Eleven RTW stakeholders from the work, heath and insurance systems have been identified, as well as their respective roles and actions. Thanks to these results, RTW stakeholders and policy makers will be able to build practical relationships and collaboration regarding the RTW of workers on sick leave due to CMDs.

The impact of work stress on sexual minority employees: Could psychological flexibility be a helpful solution?

In the workplace, people who identify as sexual minorities experience elevated levels of incivility, discrimination, and a general lack of protection from unfair workplace practices. These difficulties can then lead to adverse physical, psychological, and social outcomes. Internalized homonegativity may contribute to these negative outcomes as well. Psychological flexibility has been associated with improved psychological and physical health. The current study is a cross-sectional assessment of adults who identify as sexual minorities (n = 312) examining the relation among work stress, well-being, psychological flexibility, and internalized homonegativity. It was hypothesized that greater work stress would be related to lower well-being, lower psychological flexibility, and higher internalized homonegativity. Further, it was hypothesized that internalized homonegativity and psychological flexibility would mediate the relation between work stress and well-being. Results indicated that psychological flexibility was a significant mediator between work stress and well-being, but internalized homonegativity was not. This suggests that psychological flexibility could be a useful tool for sexual minorities to respond effectively in difficult workplace situations.

A Two-Day Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Workshop Increases Presence and Work Functioning in Healthcare Workers

BACKGROUND

In this controlled naturalistic study performed in healthcare workers we examined the effect of a two-day acceptance commitment therapy (ACT) workshop on work presence and productivity, i.e. the influence the workshop had on treatment efficacy in a routine hospital care setting.

AIM

To examine the influence of ACT on productivity and presence in healthcare workers.

METHOD

Study participants were all healthcare workers (nurses, medical doctors, physiotherapists, social workers, and art therapists) of four inpatient wards for depression. Half of the healthcare workers attended the workshop. Measures were evaluated 3 months after the intervention in the study participants and the patients treated by them in the same time period.

RESULTS

A significantly higher treatment efficacy [as measured with HoNOS (Health of the nation outcome scales) change in the patients treated by the participants] has been observed in the healthcare workers who attended the ACT workshop when compared to the control group who did not attend the workshop. Moreover, the work presence of the participants of the ACT workshop was increased when compared with the time period before the intervention and with the presence of the control group. A cost analysis showed that ACT workshops lead to a significant return of investment for the employer as the costs for the workshop were ten times compensated by the increase of work presence in participants of the workshop.

CONCLUSION

These findings provide support that ACT interventions motivate healthcare workers to work and increase their patients' treatment quality. To our knowledge this is the first study showing an ACT workshop in healthcare workers can influence HoNOS outcome in the treated patients.

Are acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions 'value for money'? Evidence from a systematic literature review

OBJECTIVES

Acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions (A/MBIs) are recommended for people with mental health conditions. Although there is a growing evidence base supporting the effectiveness of different A/MBIs for mental health conditions, the economic case for these interventions has not been fully explored. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and appraise all available economic evidence of A/MBIs for the management of mental health conditions.

METHODS

Eight electronic bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, EMBASE, Web of Science, NHS Economic Evaluation Database (EED), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Health Technology Assessment (HTA) database, and EconLit) were searched for relevant economic evaluations published from each database's inception date until November 2017. Study selection, quality assessment, and data extraction were carried out according to published guidelines.

RESULTS

Ten relevant economic evaluations presented in 11 papers were identified. Seven of the included studies were full economic evaluations (i.e., costs and effects assessed), and three studies were partial economic evaluations (i.e., only costs were considered in the analysis). The A/MBIs that had been subjected to economic evaluation were acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). In terms of clinical presentations, the evaluation of cost-effectiveness of A/MBIs has been more focused on depression and emotional unstable personality disorder with three and four economic evaluations, respectively. Three out of seven full economic evaluations observed that A/MBIs were cost-effective for the management of mental health conditions. Nevertheless, the heterogeneity of included populations, interventions, and economic evaluation study types limits the extent to which firm conclusions can currently be made.

CONCLUSION

This first substantive review of economic evaluations of A/MBIs indicates that more research is needed before firm conclusions can be reached on the cost-effectiveness of A/MBIs for mental health conditions.

PRACTITIONER POINTS

The findings of the review provide information that may be relevant to mental health service commissioners and decision-makers as all economic evidence available on acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions for mental health conditions is summarized. Evidence relating to the cost-effectiveness and cost-saving potential of acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions is focused mainly on depression and emotional unstable personality disorder to date. Heterogeneity in the specific forms of acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions may limit generalizability of the findings. The number of health economic evaluations relating to acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions remains relatively small. Further research in this area is required.

The acceptance and commitment therapy model in occupational rehabilitation of musculoskeletal and common mental disorders: a qualitative focus group study

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine whether and how intended processes of behavioural change were reflected in participants' experiences after an inpatient occupational rehabilitation programme. The programme was transdiagnostic, lasted 3½ weeks and was based on the acceptance and commitment therapy model.Methods: Twenty-two participants (17 women and 5 men) took part in five qualitative focus group interviews after the programme. Analysis was data-driven, categorising participants' experiences using an initial explorative phenomenological approach. The emerging data-driven categories were re-contextualised within the theoretical framework of the therapy model.Results: The participants referred to experiences within all three intended domains of the model (openness, awareness, and engagement). Our results indicate that the transdiagnostic approach may have facilitated openness, while the attainment of flexible self-awareness was less evident. Participants expressed engagement and behavioural changes linked to personal values, but did not mention actions leading to imminent return to work.Conclusions: The results imply that for implementation in occupational rehabilitation, further development of this model is needed specifically regarding processes related to self-awareness and committed action towards work. These findings are relevant for the interpretation of results from randomised clinical trials on acceptance and commitment therapy in occupational rehabilitation.Implications for rehabilitationAcceptance and commitment therapy seems to be a feasible component in an occupational rehabilitation programme for persons with different diagnoses.A transdiagnostic approach mixing musculoskeletal pain disorders and common mental disorders in the same rehabilitation programme seems to facilitate the process of openness and acceptance.There is a need to further develop and operationalise some of the processes in Acceptance and commitment therapy to accommodate the approach to the occupational rehabilitation context.

Occupational physical and emotional fitness

Sports medicine is a wide field of knowledge with a focus on the physical and psychological aspects of individuals; unfortunately, it is not well-known among occupational therapy practitioners. If at all, it is focused on exercise therapy for physical injuries and pain. We agree there are many types of physical pain and injuries among workers in different occupations, but not all that pain is related to physical overuse. Recently, new recommendations were presented by the American College of Sports Medicine highlighting particularly the psychological aspects of occupational emotional fitness. However, there is very little research about the concurrent effects of cost-effective packages of therapy for occupational emotional and physical fitness. Accordingly, this commentary reviews the occupational physical and emotional fitness aspects of sports medicine. In addition, this work makes suggestions to examine packages and protocols of physical and emotional fitness, with therapeutic targets for occupational cultures in different societies for employees and employers.