The Effects of a Recovery-Focused Program for Stress Management in Women<br/>—An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Current research indicates that stress problems primarily could be conceptualized as deficiencies in recovery and recuperation between stress periods. Accordingly, interventions should put more emphasis on this aspect. A group based intervention program focusing exclusively on recovery behavior in everyday life was evaluated in this quasi-experimental, waiting-list control group study, where the control group was also treated in a second phase. Thirty-two self-referred female subjects, considering themselves in need of treatment for stress related health problems, were available for analyzes. Fifteen of these constituted the first phase treatment group (INT), while the remaining 17 subjects were placed on waiting list (WLC). Adding a few late applicants leaved 20 subjects later treated in the second intervention phase. Significant and clinically meaningful positive effects emerged in the INT-compared to the WLC-group on recovery behaviors, stress-and recovery experiences, as well as on burn-out symptoms, worry, anxiety and depression. Secondary analyzes of all treated subjects indicated that the positive change the primary clinical endpoint was predicted by the increase in frequency of recovery behaviors and by the decrease in the worry level. Thus, the present intervention model merits further research with more rigorous experimental design as well as with follow-up assessments.

The reliability and factorial validity of the Swedish version of the Recovery Experience Questionnaire

“…This is an important finding because it may help us select measurement tools for the examination of job stress recovery experiences. For example, following an intervention, Lisspers et al (2014) found that changed levels of "recovery behaviour" were associated with changed levels of burnout in a subclinical sample. Thus, recovery-focused interventions might be a suitable approach in both treatment and prevention of burnout and valid measures of recovery experiences could add understanding to recovery processes.…”

“…Finally, relaxation, describes the experiences of low activation in the organism (Sonnentag et al, 2017;Stone, Kennedy-Moore, & Neale, 1995). Relaxation can stop the prolongation of harmful physiological stress responses and enable recovery processes to occur (Brosschot, Pieper, & Thayer, 2005;Geurts & Sonnentag, 2006;Lisspers, Almén, & Sundin, 2014).…”

Effects of cognitive behavioural therapy and return‐to‐work intervention for patients on sick leave due to stress‐related disorders: Results from a randomized trial

“…The treatment has been included in three randomized trials as face‐to‐face treatment (present study: Salomonsson et al ., ), stepped care with guided self‐help and face‐to‐face treatment (Salomonsson et al ., ), and as an Internet‐based treatment (Lindsäter et al ., ). The treatment is based on a model assuming that these disorders are maintained by a deficit of recuperation (Geurts & Sonnentag, ; Lisspers, Almén, & Sundin, ) that can be caused by for example difficulties to relax, extensive rumination, or aversive consequences of relaxing (e.g., a person may feel shame or guilt if taking a rest instead of working or helping friends or family). The main components were psychoeducation regarding stress, practicing relaxation, scheduled recuperation, behavioural activation including valued living across a person’s different life areas, and exposure to break fear avoidance patterns.…”

Mediators of Change in Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Clinical Burnout

“…The present thesis focuses specifically on deficits in recovery as a central factor in the genesis and maintenance of stress-related problems [34][35][36] (although numerous other theories of the potentially aversive consequences of prolonged exposure to non-traumatic stressors exist).…”

“…No evidence-based treatments exist for exhaustion disorder (ED). The treatment protocol used in the present thesis was developed by our research group, and is based on a model highlighting deficits in recovery, particularly recuperating activities but also associated with sleep, as central maintaining factors of exhaustion [34][35][36] .…”