A Web-based Stress Reduction Program for Occupational Health

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Abstract

Stress is a major public health issue, calling for a need of better stress management programs to prevent and manage chronic stress. Many studies have explored the effects of stress on the workplace, finding that in the workplace, stress can lead to emotional exhaustion, job dissatisfaction, lower productivity, and impaired performance. In a recent survey, results indicated that 80 percent of workers feel stress on the job; with nearly half saying they need help in learning how to manage stress. From September 2014 to December 2016, the study site experienced a high number of stress-related clinic visits. A total of 920 employees were seen and completed a health questionnaire. Of these employees, 15.6 percent were unsatisfied or very unsatisfied with their stress management, posing a significant need for a program to reduce stress. This evidenced-based practice project aimed to implement a sustainable six-week mindfulness web-based program to reduce stress of call-center employees in a corporate setting. Internet-based stress management programs focusing on mindfulness meditation may provide easy access, minimize stress-related diseases, and are cost-effective and reproducible. Participants were asked to complete two validated scales—The Perceived Stress Scale and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale—at two time periods throughout the program: pre-program and post-program. The results indicated that the mindfulness intervention group had significant decreases in perceived stress as well as increased mindfulness as evidenced by improvement in scores of the perceived stress and mindfulness attention awareness scales.