Skip to main content
PMC home page
American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 2001 Feb;91(2):270–276. doi: 10.2105/ajph.91.2.270

The benefits of interventions for work-related stress.

J J van der Klink 1, R W Blonk 1, A H Schene 1, F J van Dijk 1
PMCID: PMC1446543  PMID: 11211637

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This quantitative meta-analysis sought to determine the effectiveness of occupational stress-reducing interventions and the populations for which such interventions are most beneficial. METHODS: Forty-eight experimental studies (n = 3736) were included in the analysis. Four intervention types were distinguished: cognitive-behavioral interventions, relaxation techniques, multimodal programs, and organization-focused interventions. RESULTS: A small but significant overall effect was found. A moderate effect was found for cognitive-behavioral interventions and multimodal interventions, and a small effect was found for relaxation techniques. The effect size for organization-focused interventions was nonsignificant. Effects were most pronounced on the following outcome categories: complaints, psychologic resources and responses, and perceived quality of work life. CONCLUSIONS: Stress management interventions are effective. Cognitive-behavioral interventions are more effective than the other intervention types.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (109.1 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aderman M., Tecklenburg K. Effect of relaxation training on personal adjustment and perceptions of organizational climate. J Psychol. 1983 Nov;115(2D):185–191. doi: 10.1080/00223980.1983.9915434. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Arnetz B. B. Techno-stress: a prospective psychophysiological study of the impact of a controlled stress-reduction program in advanced telecommunication systems design work. J Occup Environ Med. 1996 Jan;38(1):53–65. doi: 10.1097/00043764-199601000-00017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Baker D. B. The study of stress at work. Annu Rev Public Health. 1985;6:367–381. doi: 10.1146/annurev.pu.06.050185.002055. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Baraitser M., Burn J., Fixsen J. A recessively inherited windmill-vane camptodactyly/ichthyosis syndrome. J Med Genet. 1983 Apr;20(2):125–127. doi: 10.1136/jmg.20.2.125. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Carrington P., Collings G. H., Jr, Benson H., Robinson H., Wood L. W., Lehrer P. M., Woolfolk R. L., Cole J. W. The use of meditation--relaxation techniques for the management of stress in a working population. J Occup Med. 1980 Apr;22(4):221–231. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Desjardins R., Smetana K., Busch H. A large scale procedure for isolation of nucleoli from rat liver. Exp Cell Res. 1965 Oct;40(1):127–137. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(65)90296-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fava M., Littman A., Halperin P., Pratt E., Drews F. R., Oleshansky M., Knapik J., Thompson C., Bielenda C. Psychological and behavioral benefits of a stress/type A behavior reduction program for healthy middle-aged army officers. Psychosomatics. 1991 Summer;32(3):337–342. doi: 10.1016/s0033-3182(91)72073-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fiedler N., Vivona-Vaughan E., Gochfeld M. Evaluation of a work site relaxation training program using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. J Occup Med. 1989 Jul;31(7):595–602. doi: 10.1097/00043764-198907000-00010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Friedli K., King M. B., Lloyd M., Horder J. Randomised controlled assessment of non-directive psychotherapy versus routine general-practitioner care. Lancet. 1997 Dec 6;350(9092):1662–1665. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(97)05298-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ganster D. C., Mayes B. T., Sime W. E., Tharp G. D. Managing organizational stress: a field experiment. J Appl Psychol. 1982 Oct;67(5):533–542. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ivancevich J. M., Matteson M. T., Freedman S. M., Phillips J. S. Worksite stress management interventions. Am Psychol. 1990 Feb;45(2):252–261. doi: 10.1037//0003-066x.45.2.252. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Johansson N. Effectiveness of a stress management program in reducing anxiety and depression in nursing students. J Am Coll Health. 1991 Nov;40(3):125–129. doi: 10.1080/07448481.1991.9936268. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Jones J. W., Barge B. N., Steffy B. D., Fay L. M., Kunz L. K., Wuebker L. J. Stress and medical malpractice: organizational risk assessment and intervention. J Appl Psychol. 1988 Nov;73(4):727–735. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.73.4.727. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kushnir T., Malkinson R., Ribak J. Teaching stress management skills to occupational and environmental health physicians and practitioners. A graduate-level practicum. J Occup Med. 1994 Dec;36(12):1335–1340. doi: 10.1097/00043764-199412000-00016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Lee S., Crockett M. S. Effect of assertiveness training on levels of stress and assertiveness experienced by nurses in Taiwan, Republic of China. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 1994 Jul-Aug;15(4):419–432. doi: 10.3109/01612849409006918. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. McCue J. D., Sachs C. L. A stress management workshop improves residents' coping skills. Arch Intern Med. 1991 Nov;151(11):2273–2277. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. McLeroy K. R., Green L. W., Mullen K. D., Foshee V. Assessing the effects of health promotion in worksites: a review of the stress program evaluations. Health Educ Q. 1984 Winter;11(4):379–401. doi: 10.1177/109019818401100401. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Murphy L. R. A comparison of relaxation methods for reducing stress in nursing personnel. Hum Factors. 1983 Aug;25(4):431–440. doi: 10.1177/001872088302500409. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Murphy L. R. Stress management in highway maintenance workers. J Occup Med. 1984 Jun;26(6):436–442. doi: 10.1097/00043764-198406000-00016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Murphy L. R. Stress management in work settings: a critical review of the health effects. Am J Health Promot. 1996 Nov-Dec;11(2):112–135. doi: 10.4278/0890-1171-11.2.112. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Pearlin L. I., Schooler C. The structure of coping. J Health Soc Behav. 1978 Mar;19(1):2–21. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Peters R. K., Benson H., Peters J. M. Daily relaxation response breaks in a working population: II. Effects on blood pressure. Am J Public Health. 1977 Oct;67(10):954–959. doi: 10.2105/ajph.67.10.954. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Peters R. K., Benson H., Porter D. Daily relaxation response breaks in a working population: I. Effects on self-reported measures of health, performance, and well-being. Am J Public Health. 1977 Oct;67(10):946–953. doi: 10.2105/ajph.67.10.946. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Pruitt R. H. Effectiveness and cost efficiency of interventions in health promotion. J Adv Nurs. 1992 Aug;17(8):926–932. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.1992.tb02020.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Toivanen H., Helin P., Hänninen O. Impact of regular relaxation training and psychosocial working factors on neck-shoulder tension and absenteeism in hospital cleaners. J Occup Med. 1993 Nov;35(11):1123–1130. doi: 10.1097/00043764-199311000-00015. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Toivanen H., Länsimies E., Jokela V., Hänninen O. Impact of regular relaxation training on the cardiac autonomic nervous system of hospital cleaners and bank employees. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1993 Oct;19(5):319–325. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.1468. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Tsai S. L., Crockett M. S. Effects of relaxation training, combining imagery, and meditation on the stress level of Chinese nurses working in modern hospitals in Taiwan. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 1993 Jan-Mar;14(1):51–66. doi: 10.3109/01612849309006890. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Vaughn M., Cheatwood S., Sirles A. T., Brown K. C. The effect of progressive muscle relaxation on stress among clerical workers. AAOHN J. 1989 Aug;37(8):302–306. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Vines S. W. Relaxation with guided imagery: effects on employees' psychological distress and health seeking behaviors. AAOHN J. 1994 May;42(5):206–213. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. van der Hek H., Plomp H. N. Occupational stress management programmes: a practical overview of published effect studies. Occup Med (Lond) 1997 Apr;47(3):133–141. doi: 10.1093/occmed/47.3.133. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. von Baeyer C., Krause L. Effectiveness of stress management training for nurses working in a burn treatment unit. Int J Psychiatry Med. 1983;13(2):113–126. doi: 10.2190/wpv9-0y55-55tx-fmx1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Public Health are provided here courtesy of American Public Health Association

RESOURCES