JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Background:

Employees in many workplaces are experiencing increasing levels of psychological symptoms, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic that limited social interactions and health service access. These circumstances may lead to negative effects on the employee’s health, social life, and physical functions (such as sleep problems, fatigue, burnout); and may link to work-related outcomes, including lower levels of work engagement. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective methods not only for treating mentally ill workers but also for preventing work-related psychological distress. This study will autonomously inspect evidence from randomized controlled trials regarding internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) as a preventive intervention to improve psychological distress and work engagement for non-clinical workers.

Objective:

Objective:

The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize the best available evidence concerning the preventive effect of iCBT on employees.

Methods:

Methods:

The search strategy aims to identify both published and unpublished studies. The PRESS checklist will be utilized in the search strategy. An initial limited search of PubMed will be conducted to identify articles on the topic. Initial keywords will cover the concept of employees, workers, non-healthcare personnel, internet-based, web-based, e-health cognitive-behavioral interventions, web-based cognitive-behavioral interventions, stress, depression, anxiety, and work engagement and then a full search strategy will be developed. Reference lists of relevant research will be screened for additional studies along with a hand search for main journals. Following titles, abstracts and the full text will then be screened for assessment against the inclusion criteria for the review. Search results will be fully reported and presented. Then, two independent reviewers will assess each eligible study for methodological quality and the overall quality of evidence. Any disagreements at each stage of the review will be handled through conversation or collaboration with other reviewers. The data extracted will include specific details of significance to the review objective. A meta-analysis will be undertaken based on reports of similar outcomes.

Results:

Results:

The results of all the included studies will be synthesized into the evidence of which aspects of the iCBT interventions were the most beneficial with regard to psychological distress and work engagement for workers in the workplace.

Conclusions:

Conclusions:

The summary of this review will enable further decision-making to use the intervention delivered through the internet to improve psychological distress and work-related outcomes among employees. In addition, the results will be used to ensure the policy related to improving psychological distress and work engagement in the workplace.