30 Day Mobile App Programs for Stress Management in Customer Service Representatives

Evaluated using a burnout scale for customer service representatives. This scale is used to measures feelings of burnout, a psychological disposition characterized by emotional exhaustion, lack of personal accomplishment, and a tendency to depersonalize others. The 24-item scale uses a 6-point Likert scale, and items are summed to create a composite score, with a range of 24-144, higher scores indicating greater burnout.

Analyses will focus on a time (baseline, post-intervention, follow-up) by group interaction, and subsequent within group and within timepoint main effects. Here we hypothesize that while there will be a main effect of time, there will be a significant time by group interaction on reducing burnout.

Evaluated using Job Content Questionnaire. The Job Content Questionnaire is designed to measure the social and psychological characteristics of the workplace environment such as psychological demands, decision latitude, social support, physical demands, and job insecurity. The Job Stress measure will be calculated by combining the Psychological Demands and Decision Latitude subscales. The Psychological Demands subscale is 5-items and the Decision Latitude is 9-items. All are scored on a 1-4 Likert, resulting in a range of 14-56, scored such that higher numbers indicate greater job stress.

Analyses will focus on a time (baseline, post-intervention, follow-up) by group interaction, and subsequent within group and within timepoint main effects. Here we hypothesize that while there will be a main effect of time, there will be a significant time by group interaction on reducing job stress.

Evaluated using Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. This is a 10-item scale, each item scored on a 1-5 Likert scale, resulting in a range of 10-50, with higher scores indicating greater job satisfaction as follows:

• 10-26: very low satisfaction
• 27-31: low satisfaction
• 32-38: average satisfaction
• 39-41: high satisfaction
• 42-50: very high satisfaction

Analyses will focus on a time (baseline, post-intervention, follow-up) by group interaction, and subsequent within group and within timepoint main effects. Here we hypothesize that while there will be a main effect of time, there will be a significant time by group interaction on increasing job satisfaction.

Evaluated using Work Life Conflict Scale.The Work Life Conflict designed to measure conflict between work and non-work experiences. The 5-item measure has been used in previous work, and participants respond to each item using a 1-7 Likert scale with higher numbers indicating greater work-life conflict. Some previous work has averaged responses to the 5-items, thus resulting in a range of 1-7 for this scale.

Analyses will focus on a time by group interaction, and subsequent within group and within timepoint main effects. Here we hypothesize that while there will be a main effect of time, there will be a significant time by group interaction on reducing work-life conflict.

Evaluated using Life Work Conflict Scales.The Life Work Conflict designed to measure conflict between non-work experiences and the individual's experiences at work. The 5-item measure has been used in previous work, and participants respond to each item using a 1-7 Likert scale with higher numbers indicating greater life-work conflict. Some previous work has averaged responses to the 5-items, thus resulting in a range of 1-7 for this scale.

Analyses will focus on a time by group interaction, and subsequent within group and within timepoint main effects. Here we hypothesize that while there will be a main effect of time, there will be a significant time by group interaction on reducing life-work conflict.

Evaluated by asking at 2-month post-intervention follow-up.

Analyses will focus on a main effect of group on lower number of sick days taken.

Interpersonal conflict with customers and coworkers will be assessed by the following questions (1-"none at all" to 5-"a great deal" scale):

• How much conflict did you experience with customers today?
• How much conflict with coworkers and managers/supervisors did you experience today?

These items were selected to capture the listed outcome measure and do not come from a previously used scale. The outcome measure will be assessed end-of-day during the 30 day period.

Analyses will use multilevel modeling to explore differences between groups. Here, we will explore a possible time by group interaction on reduced interpersonal conflict with customers and coworkers.

Evaluated using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The PSS measures the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. Individual scores on the PSS can range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress.

• Scores ranging from 0-13 would be considered low stress.
• Scores ranging from 14-26 would be considered moderate stress.
• Scores ranging from 27-40 would be considered high perceived stress.

Here, we expect a main effect of time, with a possible time by group interaction on lowered perceived stress.

Evaluated using the SF-12, a 12-item scale assessing physical health and mental health. Composite scores range from 0-100 with higher scores indicating better health.

Here, we expect a main effect of time, with a possible time by group interaction on improved self-reported physical health.

Evaluated using the CES-D which measures depressive symptoms over the last two weeks using 20-items. The total score is a sum of the items and scores can range from 0-60, with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptoms. A score equal to or above 16 can indicate a person at risk for clinical depression.

Here, we expect a main effect of time, with a possible time by group interaction on lowered depressive symptoms

Evaluated using the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). This FFMQ is based on a factor analytic study of five independently developed mindfulness questionnaires. The analysis yielded five factors that appear to represent elements of mindfulness as it is currently conceptualized. The five facets are observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging of inner experience, and non-reactivity to inner experience. The 39-item scale is scored on 1-very rarely true to 5-very often true scale, range 39-195, with higher scores indicating greater mindfulness.

Here, we expect a time by group interaction on increased mindfulness.

Evaluated using the Social Provisions Scale.The Social Provisions Scale was developed to assess the provisions of social relationships and what we receive from relationships with other people. The six provisions include guidance (advice or information), reliable alliance (assurance that others can be counted on in times of stress), reassurance of worth (recognition of one's competence), attachment (emotional closeness), social integration (a sense of belonging to a group of friends), and opportunity for nurturance (providing assistance to others) across 24 items. These subscales are summed to create a score for each subscale (range of 4-16), and subscales are summed together to create a composite total score (range of 24-96) with higher scores indicating higher perceptions of social support.

Here, we will explore a possible time by group interaction on increased perceptions of available social support.

Evaluated using the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The UCLA Loneliness scale is designed to measure one's subjective feelings of loneliness as well as feelings of social isolation. Scores are summed from each item and higher scores indicate greater degrees of loneliness (range 20-80).

Here, we will explore a possible time by group interaction on reduced loneliness.

Evaluated using the Distress Tolerance Scale which assesses the perceived ability to tolerate distress using 16-items, summed, with a range of 16-90 with higher scores indicating greater levels of distress tolerance.

Here, we will explore a possible time by group interaction on increased acceptance.

Evaluated using the White Bear Thought Suppression Inventory. 15 items answered on a 5-point Likert scale and summed, resulting in a range of 15-75 (higher scores indicating greater thought suppression). Greater thought suppression is believed to be an indicator of low equanimity.

Here, we will explore a possible time by group interaction on increased equanimity (reduced thought suppression scores).