Concept of a new model of low-threshold psychotherapeutic care at work: first results of an RCT

Nicole Rosalinde HANDER¹, Rike SEEGA¹, Volker KÖLLNER², Manuel FEIßT³, Peter ANGERER⁴, Eva ROTHERMUND¹

¹Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Klinik für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Ulm, Germany
²Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Medizinische Klinik mit Schwerpunkt Psychosomatik, Forschungsgruppe Psychosomatische Rehabilitation, Berlin, Germany
³Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Institut für Medizinische Biometrie, Heidelberg, Germany
⁴Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Institut für Arbeits-, Sozial- und Umweltmedizin, Düsseldorf, Germany

Introduction: Although mental disorders are of increasing relevance to work ability and enormously impact socioeconomic issues, there is a considerable treatment gap worldwide.

Methods: To analyze the effectiveness of early psychotherapeutic intervention at work, the German nationwide multicentered RCT project “friaa” (“Frühe Intervention am Arbeitsplatz”) was implemented (Weber et al., 2021). It is a short-term psychotherapeutic offer for stressed employees. Core elements are low-threshold initial contact, counseling in all phases of mental illness, workplace relevance and networking with co-treaters (Rothermund et al., 2022). To determine which users are reached, participants’ demographics and illness behavior are described. Change of sickness absence days serve as primary and self-efficacy as secondary outcome from enrolment to fifteen months afterwards. Participants were recruited from small, middle, and large-sized companies around five study centers Germany-wide. Prerequisites included a F-diagnosis (ICD-10) or a functional level < 81 (GAF scale).

Results: Of 550 participants (55% female; mean age = 46, SD = 11), 73% worked full-time, 13% in shifts and 21% had managerial responsibility. 62% were employed in large companies, where the topic of mental health was addressed significantly more frequently (Psychosocial Safety Climate). The average number of sick days before study participation was 22. The depression indicator PHQ-9 had an average value of 13, the work-related self-efficacy scales ERA (return-to-work self-efficacy) and SOSES (short occupational self-efficacy) showed values of 3.5 and 3.9. 85% of the participants met the criteria for at least one mental illness, the GAF mean value was 66. First results of the ongoing studies’ effectiveness will be presented.

Discussion/Conclusion: Descriptive baseline data indicate a high level of mental strain. This points to the acute need for intervention which might improve slightly positive existing work-related self-efficacy. As the intervention provides early, work-related treatment, implementation into practice could be of large public health and economic relevance.