Internet-delivered Strengths Use Intervention

Improving Employee Well-being Through an Internet-delivered Strengths Use Intervention: A Feasibility Study

The aim of the study will be to test the feasibility and acceptability of a novel online-delivered gamification-based intervention for the identification, development, and use of strengths in the organization. The program will be addressed to employees at the beginning of their careers and will have the aim of boosting their well-being and performance.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Burnout, Professional; Mental Health Wellness 1
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Internet-delivered strengths use intervention

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Delia Vîrgă, PhD; Phone Number: +40 256592252; Email: delia.virga@e-uvt.ro

Study Locations

• Romania
  • Timis
    • Timisoara, Timis, Romania, 300223
      • West University of Timisoara

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

- participants should score 4.49 or lower (on a scale from 0 to 6) on work engagement;

Exclusion Criteria:

• workload which will impede following the intervention program (based on a filter Yes/No question);
• lack of internet access during the period of the implementation of the program (based on a filter Yes/No question).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Intervention group; The experimental arm will receive the online strengths use intervention program over a period of 6 weeks, through an LMS software solution.

Behavioral: Internet-delivered strengths use intervention; The online strengths use intervention program, will be based on Miglianico et al.'s (2020) general framework, following the theorized five stages: (1) preparation and commitment, (2) identification, (3) integration, (4) action, and (5) evaluation. As to increase participant engagement and motivation, gamification components will be embedded in several of these stages. The entire intervention will be delivered online via an LMS software solution.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Work engagement	Work engagement will be measured with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). It has 9 items that form three dimensions, each with 3 items: vigor (e.g., "At my work, I feel bursting with energy"), dedication (e.g., "I am enthusiastic about my job"), and absorption (e.g., "I am immersed in my work"). This measure uses a 7-point agreement scale (0 = never, 6 = always).	Change from baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6 weeks).
Psychological capital (PsyCap)	Psychological capital will be measured with the 12-item Psychological Capital Questionnaire. It has four subscales: hope ("At the moment, I feel quite fulfilled at work."), self-efficacy ("I feel confident presenting information to a group of colleagues."), resilience ("Usually, at work, I easily get over the stressful aspects."), and optimism ("I am optimistic about what will happen to me in the future regarding my job."). All 12-item are reported on a 6-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 6 = strongly agree).	Change from baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6 weeks).
Strengths use	Strengths use will be measured with a set of six items, rated on a 0 (almost never) to 6 (almost always) Likert scale. A sample item is "I seek opportunities to do my work in a manner that best suits my strong points".	Change from baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6 weeks).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Burnout	Burnout will be assessed with the 12-item Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT). This questionnaire has four subscales: exhaustion (3 items; "At work, I feel mentally exhausted."), emotional impairment (3 items; "At work, I feel unable to control my emotions."), cognitive impairment (3 items; "At work, I have trouble staying focused.") and mental distance (3 items; "I struggle to find any enthusiasm for my work."). All items will be scored on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always).	Change from baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6 weeks).
Job satisfaction	Job satisfaction will be measured with the Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire. The scale has three items with a response on a 7-point scale (1 = total disagreement, 7 = total agreement). A sample item reads: "In general, I like working here.".	Change from baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6 weeks).
Job performance	Job performance will be assessed with a 7-item scale. Response options range on a Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). A sample item is "I adequately complete my assigned duties.".	Change from baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6 weeks).
Positive affect	Positive Affect (PA) will be measured with the 10 items of the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), representing different types of positive emotions (e.g., "excited", "inspired", and "enthusiastic"). Respondents will be asked to indicate to what extent they experienced these in the time frame of the intervention on a 5-point scale (1 = very slightly or not at all; 5 = very much).	Change from baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6 weeks).
Life satisfaction	Life satisfaction will be measured with the five items of the Satisfaction with Life Scale. All answers are reported on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = totally disagree; 7 = totally agree); one item example being, "I am satisfied with my life".	Change from baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6 weeks).
Employability	Employability will be measured with the four-item Perceived Employability Scale. Each item is rated on a 5-point liker scale (1 = totally disagree; 5 = totally agree). Higher scores represent higher levels of employability.	Change from baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6 weeks).

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Satisfaction with the intervention	Satisfaction with the intervention will be measured using 22 items. We will use 6 items aiming at the program's content retrieved from a questionnaire used for measuring the alliance between trainers and trainees. The minimum score is 6 and the highest is 42. A higher score means a better outcome (increased satisfaction with the intervention). Also, we will use 16 items retrieved from a scale previously used for measuring the satisfaction with an online intervention. Nine of the items are measured on a Likert scale. The minimum score is 7 and the maximum is 42. A higher score means greater satisfaction. 7 items are open-ended questions.	At study completion (post-intervention), an average of 6 weeks.
System usability	We will use a 10-item questionnaire designed to measure participants' satisfaction with the online platform used for the program delivery. The total score of the System Usability Scale ranges between 0 and 100. A higher score means a better outcome.	At study completion (post-intervention), an average of 6 weeks.
Treatment adherence	The number of completed assignments; Quality of completed assignment (qualitative rating of the degree of completeness and depth of the answer for each assignment, conducted by two independent experts based on apriori established coding grids).	At study completion (post-intervention), an average of 6 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: West University of Timisoara

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Crawford JR, Henry JD. The positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS): construct validity, measurement properties and normative data in a large non-clinical sample. Br J Clin Psychol. 2004 Sep;43(Pt 3):245-65. doi: 10.1348/0144665031752934.
• Bangor, A., Kortum, P. & Miller, J.A. (2009). Determining What Individual SUS Scores Mean: Adding an Adjective Rating Scale. Journal of Usability Studies, 4(3), 114-123.
• Camman, C., Fichman, M., Jenkins, D., & Klesh, J. (1979). The Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan).
• Luthans, F. L., Avolio, B. J., & Avey, J. A. (2007). Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PsyCap) [Database record]. APA PsycTests. https://doi.org/10.1037/t06483-000
• Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-national study. Educational and psychological measurement, 66(4), 701-716. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405282471
• Schaufeli WB, Desart S, De Witte H. Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT)-Development, Validity, and Reliability. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 18;17(24):9495. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17249495.
• Tulbure BT, Rusu A, Sava FA, Salagean N, Farchione TJ. A Web-Based Transdiagnostic Intervention for Affective and Mood Disorders: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Ment Health. 2018 May 24;5(2):e36. doi: 10.2196/mental.8901.
• Van Woerkom, M., Mostert, K., Els, C., Bakker, A. B., De Beer, L., & Rothmann Jr, S. (2016). Strengths use and deficit correction in organizations: Development and validation of a questionnaire. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 25(6), 960-975. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2016.1193010
• Watson D, Clark LA. Negative affectivity: the disposition to experience aversive emotional states. Psychol Bull. 1984 Nov;96(3):465-90. No abstract available.
• Williams, L. J., & Anderson, S. E. (1991). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment as predictors of organizational citizenship and in-role behaviors. Journal of management, 17(3), 601-617. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700305
• Miglianico, M., Dubreuil, P., Miquelon, P., Bakker, A. B., & Martin-Krumm, C. (2020). Strength use in the workplace: a literature review. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21(2), 737-764. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00095-w
• De Witte, H. (1992). Tussen optimisten en teruggetrokkenen. Een empirisch onderzoek naar het psychosociaal profiel van langdurig werklozen en deelnemers aan de Weer-Werkactie in Vlaanderen [Between optimists and withdrawns. An empirical investigation of the psychosocial profile of longterm unemployed and participants of the Back-to-Work Program in Flanders]. Leuven, Belgium: HIVA

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 27, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): December 27, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 24, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 22, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): July 26, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): February 28, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 26, 2023
• Last Verified: February 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: burnout; work engagement; employee wellbeing
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Stress, Psychological; Occupational Stress; Occupational Diseases; Burnout, Professional; Burnout, Psychological
• Other Study ID Numbers: MEGSIS S3 Pilot

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No