Efficacy of an Occupational Intervention for Improving Quality of Work Life in Adults Living With ADHD

Efficacy of an Occupational Intervention for Quality of Work Life in ADHD: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

An adaptation of the Minds@Work intervention to improve quality of life at work for adults living with attention deficit disorder with/without hyperactivity (ADHD), following a group format.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: ADHD
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Minds@Work-ADHD-Quality of Life; Behavioral: Minimal contact

Detailed Description

In this study, the research team has developed a psychosocial group intervention specifically aimed at improving quality of life at work for ADHD workers. Work-related themes cover motivation, accommodations, problem solving, cognitive functions (i.e. attention and memory), hyperactivity and impulsivity, interpersonal interactions, and medication management.

The general objective of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of this new psychosocial intervention aimed at improving the quality of life at work of workers living with ADHD, using a randomized controlled trial design.

More specifically, the project will aim to:

Objective #1: Evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on the quality of life at work of workers living with ADHD (primary outcome).

Objective #2: Evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on secondary variables, namely the satisfaction of psychological needs, job satisfaction, well-being at work, self-esteem as a worker, occupational self-efficacy, cognitive functioning, self-compassion and the quality of the relationship with members of the workplace (secondary outcomes).

• Hypothesis #1: There will be a statistically significant improvement in the quality of life at work between the pre- and post-intervention measurements in participants receiving the experimental condition.
• Hypothesis #2: There will be a statistically significant condition*time interaction indicating that the improvement in quality of work life among participants receiving the experimental condition between the pre- and post-intervention measurement times will be greater than that of the control condition.
• Hypotheses #3 to 10: There will be a statistically significant improvement in the secondary outcomes mentioned above between the pre- and post-intervention measurements among participants receiving the experimental condition.
• Hypothesis #11: For participants receiving the experimental condition, there will be no statistically significant difference in quality of work life between the follow-up times, indicating that the gains acquired during the intervention will be maintained at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.

Our research team collaborates with the PANDA Les Deux-Rives association, which is a non-profit organization specializing in ADHD. The psychosocial intervention was co-designed, which allows the involvement of field stakeholders in all stages of the research. This involvement promotes the creation of a final research output that will meet the needs of the target population and that will be easily implemented in the organizational structures already in place.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Quebec
    • Montréal, Quebec, Canada, H2X 3R9
      • Université du Québec à Montréal

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 18 years
• French language proficiency
• Score ≤ 4 on Part A of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1)
• Currently employed
• Express desire to improve Quality of Work Life (QoWL)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Currently receiving psychosocial services (e.g., psychotherapy, occupational therapy) specifically targeting QoWL improvement

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention; Minds@Work-ADHD-Quality of Life	Behavioral: Minds@Work-ADHD-Quality of Life; Minds@Work-ADHD-Quality of Life
Placebo Comparator: Control; Minimal contact comparison approach	Behavioral: Minimal contact; Weekly 15-minute scripted phone calls made individually by a member of the research team to offer minimal support, without any active intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Quality of Work Life as Measured by Quality of Work Life Questionnaire (QWLQ) Total Score	The QWLQ will be used to assess multiple dimensions of work-related quality of life, including work tasks, workplace environment and conditions, self-esteem as a worker, sense of belonging to a workgroup, and relationships with coworkers/supervisors. The questionnaire consists of 40 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = completely disagree to 5 = completely agree). Total scores range 40-200, with higher scores indicating greater perceived quality of work life.	Assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after the intervention, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Psychological Need States at Work Scale (PNSW-S) Score	The PNSW-S assesses satisfaction, frustration, and unfulfillment of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) in the workplace. The 37-item questionnaire uses a Likert scale, with higher scores (Min = 37, Max = 259) indicating greater psychological need satisfaction. The scale measures intrinsic motivation based on self-determination theory.	Assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after the intervention, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-intervention
Change in Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form (MSQ-SF) Scores	The MSQ-SF is a 20-item measure assessing three domains: Intrinsic Job Satisfaction (task-related attitudes), Extrinsic Job Satisfaction (working conditions/environment), and General Satisfaction. Items are rated on a Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater job satisfaction in each domain (Min = 20, Max = 100) .	Assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after the intervention, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-intervention
Change in Index of Psychological Well-Being at Work (IPWBW) Score	The IPWBW is a 25-item measure assessing five dimensions of well-being at work: Interpersonal Fit, Thriving, Feeling of Competency, Desire for Involvement, and Perceived Recognition at Work. Items are rated on a Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater psychological well-being at work (Min = 0, Max = 100) .	Assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after the intervention, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-intervention
Change in Individual Self-Esteem as a Worker (ISEW) Scale Score	The ISEW is a 10-item scale measuring individual and social dimensions of worker self-esteem. Items are rated on a Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater self-esteem as a worker (Min = 10, Max = 40).	Assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after the intervention, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-intervention
Change in Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Version (OSES) Score	The OSES is a 6-item measure assessing workers' sense of self-efficacy based on Bandura's self-efficacy theory. Items are rated on a Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater occupational self-efficacy (Min = 6, Max = 36).	Assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after the intervention, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-intervention
Change in Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-S) Score	The SCS-S is a 12-item measure assessing self-kindness, self-judgment, and feelings of loneliness. Items are rated on a Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater self-compassion in work settings (Min = 12, Max = 60).	Assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after the intervention, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-intervention
Change in Cognitive Function at Work Questionnaire (CFWQ) Score	The CFWQ is a 29-item measure assessing subjective cognitive difficulties in six domains: Memory, Language, Executive Function, Speed of Processing, Cognitive Control, and Name Memory. Items are rated on a Likert scale, with higher scores indicating better cognitive functioning at work (Min = 0, Max = 58).	Assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after the intervention, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-intervention
Change in Team-Member Exchange (TMX) Survey Score	The TMX is a 9-item survey measuring the quality of professional relationships between adults with ADHD and workplace stakeholders. Items are rated on a Likert scale, with higher scores indicating better quality of work relationships (Min = 9, Max = 63).	Assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after the intervention, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-intervention

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Professional Situation Assessment: Job Tenure and Strategy Implementation	A follow-up survey assessing two components: (1) job tenure status and (2) implementation of workplace strategies. Control group participants complete 2 items and intervention group participants complete 3 items to characterize their professional situation. Responses will track job retention and use of learned strategies in the workplace.	Assessed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after completing the 8-week intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Université du Québec a Montréal
• Collaborators: Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Sauve G, Buck G, Lepage M, Corbiere M. Minds@Work: A New Manualized Intervention to Improve Job Tenure in Psychosis Based on Scoping Review and Logic Model. J Occup Rehabil. 2022 Sep;32(3):515-528. doi: 10.1007/s10926-021-09995-2. Epub 2021 Jul 30.

Helpful Links

• Research Lab Website

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 28, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 26, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 8, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): January 14, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 16, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 13, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: quality of life; ADHD; mental health; RCT; intervention; work; workplace; quality of work life
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2023-0SYA-312580

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: For this project, IPD sharing is not included in the ethical approval provided by our Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No