Stress reduction in the workplace: the effectiveness of psychoeducational programs

ABSTRACT : Participants in this 3-year field study were 373 employees in the emergency medical service of a municipal fire department. A framework for defining stress and categorizing psychoeducational stress reduction programs was developed. The overall effect as a single treatment type of seven psychoeducational programs based on physiological (M), coping-with-people (A), or interpersonal awareness (I) processes, and the four combinations programs, A & I, M & A, M & I, and M & A & I, on measures related to job stress was determined as well as the relative effect of each program in the near and long term. Pre- and postfollow-up improvements were found on standardized psychological instruments and on a job performance measure. Findings support the value of psychoeducational training programs for preventative mental health in the workplace