ArticleBMC public health2021
Comparative effectiveness of guided internet-based stress management training versus established in-person group training in employees - study protocol for a pragmatic, randomized, non-inferiority trial.
Article in BMC public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- A two-armed pragmatic randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of two self-compassion interventions at reducing perceived stress.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Trial
- Efficacy of a Web-Based Stress Management Intervention for Beginning Teachers on Reducing Stress and Mechanisms of Change: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Comparing the effectiveness of virtual and semi-attendance Stress Inoculation Training [SIT] techniques in improving the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress of pregnant women with psychological distress: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Trial
- Economic Evaluation of Two Scalability Strategies for Nationwide Dissemination of an Occupational Sun Safety Intervention in a Randomized Trial.Journal of occupational and environmental medicine · 2025Article
- Feasibility of online group stress management training compared to web-based individual training for employees-a randomized pilot study.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Investigating the effect of guided self-help through social networks on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and resilience of mothers with children suffering from febrile seizures.Journal of education and health promotion · 2025Article
- Feasibility and efficacy of a digital resilience training: A pilot study of the strengths-based training RESIST.Internet interventions · 2023Article
- Online cognitive-behavioral intervention for stress among English as a second language teachers: implications for school health policy.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOccupational stress is a major public health challenge that requires a variety of evidence-based preventative approaches to increase their reach within the working population. Behavioral stress management interventions are considered an established approach for occupational stress prevention. Both in-person group-based stress management training (gSMT) and individual Internet-based training (iSMT) have been shown to be effective at reducing stress in employees. However, there remains a lack of evidence on the comparative efficacy of the newer digital format compared to well-established, in-person, group-based training. This study aims (1) to directly compare an evidence-based iSMT with an established gSMT on stress in employees, (2) to analyze the two conditions from a cost perspective, and (3) to explore moderators of the comparative efficacy.
methodsIn a randomized, controlled, non-inferiority trial employees from the general working population will be allocated to iSMT or gSMT. The primary outcome will be perceived stress, assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale, three months after randomization. The non-inferiority margin for the primary outcome measure will be set at 2 points (Cohen's d = 0.29). This trial will also compare the two interventions from a health economics perspective, and conduct explorative analyses to identify potential effect moderators. DISCUSSION: To reach a larger proportion of the working population, well-established gSMT should be complemented with interventions that fit today's society's increasingly digital lifestyle. The current trial will provide evidence supporting the responsible implementation of Internet-based stress management training if the digital format proves to at least be non-inferior to established group-based training. Additional explorative moderator analyses may guide future practices to aid in matching select programs with select users.
trial registrationGerman Register of Clinical Studies (DRKS): DRKS00024892, date of registration: 2021-04-09. Protocol version: 02, 16-10-2021.
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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.