Summary:
Background: Stress at the workplace has emerged as common and significant
problem. The effectiveness of a stress-management program at the workplace was
investigated. Methods: The effectiveness of a stress-management program was
examined in office personnel at a highly stressful workplace using a randomized
controlled trial. The 61 employees in the office were randomly assigned into a
stress-management group (n = 32) and a control group (n = 29). The
stress-management program included lectures on the perception of stress,
brochures with advice on healthy lifestyle and an audio CD that includes
instructions for the implementation of relaxation techniques (deep
diaphragmatic breathing and progressive muscle relaxation). The
stress-management program was carried out for 8 weeks, and perceived
work-related stress, job satisfaction, health locus of control, stress-related
symptoms were evaluated using: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS ), Job Content
Questionnaire (JCQ) “Lifestyle and Health” questionnaire, Health Locus of
Control scale (HLC). Twenty-seven (27) out of the thirty two (32) in the
intervention group and twenty three (23) out of twenty nine (29) in the control
group were successfully followed up. Results: In the stress-management group,
a significant improvement in the general routine and sleep, as well job and
life satisfaction was observed, in addition, stress related symptoms and the
perceived stress (PSS-14) decreased for intervention group compared with the
control group. However, the health locus of control score shows no
statistically significant change in the intervention group. Finally, after the
multivariate analysis, there are no indications that the effectiveness of
intervention is influenced by the initial stress levels. Conclusions: A
stress-management program based on the relaxation techniques at the workplace
may have potential to amplify the wellbeing at the office employees
Keywords:
progressive muscle relaxation, stress-management program , work-related stress, relaxation techniques
