Internet-Based Therapy for Health Care Professionals' Mental Health
Author Information
Author(s): Amy Schwartz, Boris Breznen, Yue Sun, Menna Brown, Huiyuan Li, Lin Zhang, Shuang Huang, Sha Liu, Yuanxiu Huang, Shan Chen, Jinsong Hu, Mingzhong Xu
Primary Institution: Changsha Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Hypothesis
This study aims to examine the effects of internet-based acceptance and commitment therapy (iACT) on psychological distress among health care professionals in China.
Conclusion
The iACT effectively decreased health care professionals’ psychological distress and burnout and improved their psychological flexibility.
Supporting Evidence
- The iACT group showed significant improvement in psychological distress scores.
- Participants attended an average of 20 sessions, indicating high engagement.
- The effects of the intervention were sustained for 4 weeks post-intervention.
Takeaway
This study shows that an online therapy program can help health care workers feel less stressed and anxious, making it easier for them to handle their jobs.
Methodology
A randomized controlled trial with 108 health care professionals recruited and assigned to either an iACT intervention or a waitlist control group, with assessments conducted at multiple time points.
Potential Biases
Potential sampling bias due to self-selective recruitment of participants with higher distress levels.
Limitations
The sample was predominantly female, which may limit generalizability, and the study relied on self-reported measures.
Participant Demographics
Mean age of 38.45 years, 81.5% female, included physicians, nurses, and support staff.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
95% CI 0.39-1.26
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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