Evaluating Effectiveness of Stress Reduction Programmes in the Community

Is High Quality Effectiveness Research on Effective Stress Reduction in the Community Possible? -a Three-armed Parallel Pilot Trial in a Danish Municipality

The aim was to assess the feasibility and to improve the quality of a definitive Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) with the purpose to investigate the effectiveness of stress reduction programmes in the community. (A definitive RCT = an RCT with statistical power). Intermediate aims: to investigate 1) the potential generalizability: the accept among the target population (people with perceived stress) of participating in an RCT, including a description of the participant characteristics and the recruitment time ; 2) the risk of intervention effect dilution: the accept of allocated intervention in terms of programme completion ; 3) the risk of contamination: potential participation in (other) stress reduction treatment beyond the allocated intervention or non-intervention ; 4) the risk of selection problems or -bias: the lost to follow-up in the trial arms ; and finally, 5) the risk of information problems: the accept among participants of chosen outcome measurements, sensitivity of chosen outcome measures to detect effects, and indications of potential effects.

Inclusion Criteria:

• at least 18 years old
• able to understand, speak, and read Danish.

Exclusion Criteria:

• acute treatment-demanding clinical depression or a diagnosis of psychosis or schizophrenia
• abuse of alcohol, drugs, medicine
• pregnancy.