Development and Validation of Single-Session Digital Self-Guided Intervention to Prevent Burnout & Improve Wellness

Official title

Development and Validation of an Evidence-Based, Self-Guided, Single Session Digital Intervention to Prevent Workplace Burnout & Enhance Psychological Wellness

Overview

This study develops and evaluates a self-guided digital single-session mental health intervention designed to reduce workplace burnout and enhance psychological well-being among employed Canadian adults. Workplace burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy, affects approximately 40% of Canadian employees and leads to increased absenteeism, reduced productivity, and higher disability claims. Traditional mental health supports face barriers including long wait times, stigma, and accessibility issues. Single-Session Interventions (SSIs) offer a practical, cost-effective, and scalable complement to traditional services. This is a randomized, double-arm, online trial. Participants are recruited via Prolific and randomly assigned (1:1) to either the experimental single-session burnout intervention or an active control condition focused on creative writing. The intervention focuses on its unique delivery of content focused on the evidence-based techniques, such as cognitive reframing, stress management, and behavioural strategies. The active control matches the intervention in length, structure, and user experience but omits the specific therapeutic ingredients. All procedures are conducted entirely online through Qualtrics. Participants are compensated for their participation. Participants complete three sessions over approximately 30 days: A baseline survey (about 10 minutes); A program session and immediate follow-up (about 40 minutes); And a 30-day follow-up survey (about 10 minutes). Outcome measures include burnout (MBI-16), perceived stress (PSS-10), depressive symptoms (PHQ-8), anxiety (GAD-7), general health (GHQ-12), well-being (WHO-5), work engagement (UWES-3), readiness to change, perceived impact, and program feedback/acceptability. Main outcomes are examined using mixed-effects linear regression with a participant-level random intercept to test the group × time interaction across baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up.

Detailed description

This study is a randomized, double-arm, online clinical trial evaluating a self-guided, single-session digital intervention for burnout in employed adults. The research is conducted as part of a Ph.D. dissertation of Ehsan Etezad, PhD Candidate in Applied Organizational Psychology at Saint Mary's University under the supervision of Dr. John Fiset (faculty member at Saint Mary's University), with co-investigator Dr. Raghid Al-Hajj (Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait).

The intervention was developed based on a comprehensive systematic review (Phase 1 of the dissertation) that screened 2,349 records and included 27 final studies examining self-guided digital mental health interventions. The design and content of the current intervention are grounded in the best practices identified through that systematic review.

Participants are recruited through Prolific, a third-party online survey panel designed for academic research. The research team posts a study listing that includes a brief description, estimated completion time, compensation, and general eligibility requirements. All recruitment occurs through the Prolific platform with no direct contact between investigators and potential participants.

Eligible participants are presented with an electronic informed consent form describing study procedures, expected time commitment, risks and benefits, confidentiality, voluntary participation, and contact information for the study team and local crisis resources. Consented participants complete a baseline assessment comprising demographic questions and validated outcome measures.

After baseline assessment, participants are randomized (1:1) to the experimental intervention or the active control. Allocation is concealed from participants until they begin their assigned module. The active control condition matches the intervention arm in length, structure, and user experience while intentionally omitting the specific therapeutic ingredients. The active control focuses on creative writing and is non-therapeutic, ensuring that any observed effects can be attributed to the intervention's active components rather than general factors such as time spent, format, attention, or digital engagement. After completing the T3 follow-up survey, all participants in the active control group receive access to the full intervention to ensure equitable access to the intervention's potential benefits.

Data collection occurs at three time points: T1 (baseline), T2 (immediately post-intervention), and T3 (30-day follow-up). The full outcome battery is completed at baseline and immediately post-intervention; follow-up assessments repeat all primary and secondary outcomes to evaluate maintenance of intervention effects.

The main outcomes (burnout, stress, depression, anxiety, wellness, engagement) are examined using mixed-effects linear regression with a participant-level random intercept to test the group × time interaction across baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. The main comparison focuses on the change from baseline to immediate post-intervention between the two study arms.

Interventions

• Behavioral Single-Session Intervention to Prevent Burnout & Enhance Psychological Wellness
  The intervention was developed based on a comprehensive systematic review (Phase 1 of the dissertation) that screened 2,349 records and included 27 final studies examining self-guided digital mental health interventions. The design and content of the current intervention are grounded in the best practices identified through that systematic review. Testimonials serve as the core delivery method for the intervention's "active ingredients." The systematic review showed that testimonials communicate
• Behavioral Creative Writing
  A matched-length, structurally parallel module focused on creative writing. Matches the intervention in layout, pacing, and aesthetic style but intentionally omits therapeutic ingredients.

Primary outcome measures

• Burnout - Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-16) [Time frame: T1 - Baseline Pre-Intervention (Day 1); T2 - Post-Intervention Assessment (Day 2); T3 - Follow-up Assessment (Day 30)]
• Perceived Stress - Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) [Time frame: T1 - Baseline Pre-Intervention (Day 1); T2 - Post-Intervention Assessment (Day 2); T3 - Follow-up Assessment (Day 30)]
• Depressive Symptoms - Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) [Time frame: T1 - Baseline Pre-Intervention (Day 1); T2 - Post-Intervention Assessment (Day 2); T3 - Follow-up Assessment (Day 30)]
• Anxiety - Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) [Time frame: T1 - Baseline Pre-Intervention (Day 1); T2 - Post-Intervention Assessment (Day 2); T3 - Follow-up Assessment (Day 30)]
• General Health - General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) [Time frame: T1 - Baseline Pre-Intervention (Day 1); T2 - Post-Intervention Assessment (Day 2); T3 - Follow-up Assessment (Day 30)]
• Well-Being - WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5) [Time frame: T1 - Baseline Pre-Intervention (Day 1); T2 - Post-Intervention Assessment (Day 2); T3 - Follow-up Assessment (Day 30)]
• Work Engagement - Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-3) [Time frame: T1 - Baseline Pre-Intervention (Day 1); T2 - Post-Intervention Assessment (Day 2); T3 - Follow-up Assessment (Day 30)]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• 19 years of age or older
• Currently employed full-time
• Reside in Canada
• Not currently receiving treatment for a significant physical or mental health condition (e.g., ongoing psychotherapy or psychiatric care)
• Sufficient English proficiency to understand the intervention materials and complete all study assessments

Exclusion criteria

• Being under 19 years of age
• Being unemployed, retired, or a student who is not concurrently employed
• Residing outside Canada
• Currently engaging in significant mental health treatment

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Open label

Primary purpose

Prevention

Study locations

Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07583420 · 26-088

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗