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Can an organizationally anchored, multilevel intervention improve perceived stress and psychosocial factors in the workplace? A pre-post study assessing effectiveness and implementation: A Pre-post Study Assessing Effectiveness and Implementation

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Title: Can an organizationally anchored, multilevel intervention improve perceived stress and psychosocial factors in the workplace? A pre-post study assessing effectiveness and implementation: A Pre-post Study Assessing Effectiveness and Implementation
Authors: Dalgaard, Vita Ligaya Ponce, Kirkegaard, Tanja, Dyrlund Wåhlin-Jacobsen, Christian, Aust, Birgit, Jaspers, Sofie Østergaard, Jønsson, Thomas Faurholt, Winding, Trine Nøhr
Source: BMC Public Health
BMC Public Health, Vol 25, Iss 1, Pp 1-21 (2025)
Dalgaard, V L P, Kirkegaard, T, Dyrlund Wåhlin-Jacobsen, C, Aust, B, Jaspers, S Ø, Jønsson, T F & Winding, T N 2025, 'Can an organizationally anchored, multilevel intervention improve perceived stress and psychosocial factors in the workplace? A pre-post study assessing effectiveness and implementation', B M C Public Health, vol. 25, no. 1, 384, pp. 384. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20801-5
Publisher Information: Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Subject Terms: Psychosocial work environment, Male, Adult, Organizational intervention, Stress, Psychological/psychology, Research, Occupational Stress/psychology, Perceived stress, Multilevel intervention, Middle Aged, Organizational Culture, Job Satisfaction, Organizational, Workplace/psychology, Occupational Stress, Job satisfaction, Humans, Psychosocial safety climate, Participatory, Female, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270, Workplace, Stress, Psychological, Program Evaluation
Description: Background Organizational multilevel interventions have been called for as a means to improve psychosocial working conditions, reduce stress, and enhance wellbeing in organizations. However, these types of interventions are highly complex to implement and evaluate, and they remain scarce in the literature. In this study, we present the evaluation of a multilevel intervention conducted in a municipality setting. Methods The intervention was based on a train-the-trainer principle and participatory risk assessment workshops on all organizational levels. Action plans were subsequently developed at the team level, and identified risks, which could not be addressed at the team level, were reported to the management for further action planning or escalation to the next management level. Using a pre-post study design, we evaluated changes in proximal outcomes related to the psychosocial working environment, and distal outcomes related to stress and job satisfaction. Changes over time in outcome measures were analyzed using linear mixed models. A quantitative process evaluation was used to examine the degree of implementation of the intervention. Results Small improvements over time were observed with regard to quantitative demands, overall perception of the psychosocial work environment, job satisfaction, and the psychosocial safety climate. We also observed an increase in empowering leadership. Positive tendencies were also found for predicatability at work, possibilities for solving work tasks and support from closest manager. The effect sizes were small in all cases. No improvements in perceived stress or stress symptoms were found. The study revealed several practical and methodological challenges in conducting and implementing this type of multilevel intervention in a municipal setting. Conclusions Overall, our study suggests that the intervention was associated with small positive changes in certain aspects of the working environment but no improvements were observed in stress outcomes. The study highlights a number of challenges in relation to implementing this type of multilevel intervention in a municipal setting. Trial Registration The study was prospectively registered at ISRCTN84940247 on April 23, 2019.
Document Type: Article
Other literature type
File Description: application/pdf
Language: English
ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-20801-5
Access URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39885440
https://doaj.org/article/9b51e736203c487cb6fbecd6bcbb097d
https://vbn.aau.dk/da/publications/0565d751-4727-4e00-9805-5525172e2195
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85217357615&partnerID=8YFLogxK
https://vbn.aau.dk/ws/files/765627847/s12889-024-20801-5.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20801-5
https://hdl.handle.net/10398/60df6e97-f90f-4200-bb90-e9ee455c2bc4
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20801-5
https://research.cbs.dk/en/publications/60df6e97-f90f-4200-bb90-e9ee455c2bc4
Rights: CC BY
Accession Number: edsair.doi.dedup.....3ed98c2825a73d0513d5f9aaa480eaf7
Database: OpenAIRE
Description
Abstract:Background Organizational multilevel interventions have been called for as a means to improve psychosocial working conditions, reduce stress, and enhance wellbeing in organizations. However, these types of interventions are highly complex to implement and evaluate, and they remain scarce in the literature. In this study, we present the evaluation of a multilevel intervention conducted in a municipality setting. Methods The intervention was based on a train-the-trainer principle and participatory risk assessment workshops on all organizational levels. Action plans were subsequently developed at the team level, and identified risks, which could not be addressed at the team level, were reported to the management for further action planning or escalation to the next management level. Using a pre-post study design, we evaluated changes in proximal outcomes related to the psychosocial working environment, and distal outcomes related to stress and job satisfaction. Changes over time in outcome measures were analyzed using linear mixed models. A quantitative process evaluation was used to examine the degree of implementation of the intervention. Results Small improvements over time were observed with regard to quantitative demands, overall perception of the psychosocial work environment, job satisfaction, and the psychosocial safety climate. We also observed an increase in empowering leadership. Positive tendencies were also found for predicatability at work, possibilities for solving work tasks and support from closest manager. The effect sizes were small in all cases. No improvements in perceived stress or stress symptoms were found. The study revealed several practical and methodological challenges in conducting and implementing this type of multilevel intervention in a municipal setting. Conclusions Overall, our study suggests that the intervention was associated with small positive changes in certain aspects of the working environment but no improvements were observed in stress outcomes. The study highlights a number of challenges in relation to implementing this type of multilevel intervention in a municipal setting. Trial Registration The study was prospectively registered at ISRCTN84940247 on April 23, 2019.
ISSN:14712458
DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-20801-5