SynthesisJournal of occupational rehabilitation2010
Vocational interventions for unemployed: effects on work participation and mental distress. A systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of occupational rehabilitation, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 123 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interventions to Foster Mental Health and Reintegration in Individuals Who Are Unemployed: Systematic Review.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Pooled it
- Health-improving interventions for obtaining employment in unemployed job seekers.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Interventions to reduce the impact of unemployment and economic hardship on mental health in the general population: a systematic review.Psychological medicine · 2017Pooled it
- Association of returning to work with better health in working-aged adults: a systematic review.American journal of public health · 2012Pooled it
- Is the "Brainwork Intervention" effective in reducing sick leave for non-permanent workers with psychological problems? Results of a controlled clinical trial.BMC public health · 2021Trial
- Individualised placement and support programme for people unemployed because of chronic pain: a feasibility study and the InSTEP pilot RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2021Trial
- A participatory supportive return to work program for workers without an employment contract, sick-listed due to a common mental disorder: an economic evaluation alongside a randomized controlled trial.BMC public health · 2017Trial
- Contact & connect--an intervention to reduce depression stigma and symptoms in construction workers: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.BMC public health · 2015Trial
- The effectiveness of the "Brainwork Intervention" in reducing sick leave for unemployed workers with psychological problems: design of a controlled clinical trial.BMC public health · 2015Trial
- A participatory return-to-work intervention for temporary agency workers and unemployed workers sick-listed due to musculoskeletal disorders: results of a randomized controlled trial.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2011Trial
- Job-search self-efficacy in unemployed individuals with mental health issues: investigating the role of self-stigma with variable-centered and person-centered approaches.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Assessing the economic case for public health interventions provided in non-health public sector settings: a feasibility study in job centres in Cornwall, South West of England.Discover mental health · 2025Article
- Efficacy of a Mobile App-Based Behavioral Intervention (DRIVEN) to Help Individuals With Unemployment-Related Emotional Distress Return to Work: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2024Article
- Effectiveness of a three-component intervention supporting unemployed individuals with mental health issues in their job search and mental health recovery (3for1): study protocol of a non-randomized controlled study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Rural-urban differences in common mental disorders among Indonesian youth: a cross-sectional national survey.Osong public health and research perspectives · 2024Article
- Article
- Organisational Policies and Practices for the Inclusion of Vulnerable Workers: A Scoping Review of the Employer's Perspective.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2023Article
- Systematic realist synthesis of health-related and lifestyle interventions designed to decrease overweight, obesity and unemployment in adults.BMC public health · 2022Review
- Multimorbidity and exit from paid employment: the effect of specific combinations of chronic health conditions.European journal of public health · 2022Article
- Preventing male suicide through a psychosocial intervention that provides psychological support and tackles financial difficulties: a mixed method evaluation.BMC psychiatry · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionUnemployment is a growing problem worldwide. Unemployment or job loss is one of the most stressful of life events and can lead to diminished social status, disturbed social role patterns, financial debt, reduced self-esteem and feelings of guilt. The purpose of this review was to determine the effectiveness of vocational interventions on work participation and mental distress for unemployed adults and to provide an overview of the characteristics of these interventions.
methodsMedline, EMBASE and PsycINFO were systematically searched for studies published between 1990 and August 2008. Intervention studies aimed at work participation and helping with mental distress for the unemployed were included. Methodological quality of the included studies was assessed.
resultsSix articles based on five intervention studies, of which two randomized controlled trials, fulfilled all inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the studies ranged from good to poor. All five interventions applied group training techniques aimed at promoting re-employment and/or improving mental health. The duration of the interventions varied from 1 week to 6 months. The interventions focused on acquiring job-search skills, maintaining paid work, personal development and preparedness against setbacks during the job-search process. Only one intervention study (randomized controlled trial) reported a significant effect on re-employment.
conclusionsBased on our review, we conclude that there is weak evidence to support the use of vocational interventions to improve work participation and limited evidence to reduce mental distress for the unemployed. We recommend further development and evaluation of return to work intervention strategies for unemployed individuals.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.