Effectiveness of psychotherapeutic consultation at work compared to care as usual for employees with common mental disorders or subthreshold symptoms: a randomized controlled multicenter trial in Germany
Introduction: Common mental disorders (CMDs) are often work-related, impact work ability and are undertreated. This trial investigates whether psychotherapeutic consultation at work (PT-A) is more effective than care as usual (CAU) in reducing days of sickness absence (DOSA) among affected employees...
Guardado en:
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | Article (Journal) |
| Lenguaje: | inglés |
| Publicado: |
December 11 2025
|
| In: |
Psychotherapy and psychosomatics
Year: 2025, Pages: ? |
| ISSN: | 1423-0348 |
| DOI: | 10.1159/000549531 |
| Acceso en línea: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1159/000549531
|
| Notas de Autor: | Eva Rothermund-Nassir, Nicole Rosalinde Hander, Kristin Herrmann, Manuel Feißt, Alexandra Balzer, Yesim Erim, Regina Herold, Sinja Hondong, Christoph Kröger, Marieke Hansmann, Uta Wegewitz, Ute Beate Schröder, Tamara Waldmann, Nadine Mulfinger, Volker Köllner, Lorena Brenner, Fiona Kohl, Meike Heming, Harald Gündel, Jeannette Weber, Peter Angerer |
| Sumario: | Introduction: Common mental disorders (CMDs) are often work-related, impact work ability and are undertreated. This trial investigates whether psychotherapeutic consultation at work (PT-A) is more effective than care as usual (CAU) in reducing days of sickness absence (DOSA) among affected employees. Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) in five German study centers included employees with CMD or global assessment of functioning (GAF) <81, working ≥15 h/week, recruited via companies and media. After baseline, participants were randomized 1:1 to intervention (IG: up to 16 individual psychotherapy sessions over 9 months) or control (CG: diagnostic session + follow-up call) group. The primary outcome was self-reported DOSA in the last 6 months at 15 months post-baseline (T2). Analyses used intention-to-treat. Results: From 09/2021 to 01/2023, 550 participants, 246 male, 301 female, and 1 diverse, were randomized to IG (n = 279) and CG (n = 270). A total of 403 participants (74%) were first-time users of mental health care. DOSA at T2 were 21 days (SD = 39) in the IG (n = 206) versus 22 days (SD = 39) in the CG (n = 161), no significant treatment effect was observed ([0.65; 1.32], p = 0.679). Conclusion: PT-A did not significantly reduce DOSA compared to CAU. However, secondary outcomes showed considerable improvement of clinical symptoms such as depression, anxiety and return-to-work self-efficacy. Therefore, longer observation periods may be needed to assess the effects on DOSA. Moreover, compared to clinical experiences, the high number of men and first-time users indicate an improved accessibility for underserved groups of employees. Many people experience mental health problems that can affect their ability to work but often do not receive the help they need. The “Psychotherapeutic Consultation at Work” (PT-A) model was developed to offer early and easy access to mental health support for employees directly at the workplace. This study tested whether PT-A helps employees with mental health issues to take fewer sick days and feel better compared to usual care. A total of 550 employees from five regions in Germany took part. Half of them received after a diagnostic session up to 16 sessions with a psychotherapist at work over nine months. The other half received a one-time diagnostic session and a follow-up phone call. The results showed that the number of sick leave days did not differ between the two groups. However, employees who took part in PT-A reported clear improvements in their mental health: symptoms of depression, anxiety, and physical complaints decreased, while quality of life and confidence in returning to work increased. Notably, many men and people who had never used mental health services before participated in the study. This suggests that PT-A is an early and low-threshold intervention that can reach groups who often do not seek help. In summary, the study shows that PT-A improves the mental health of employees, even if it did not reduce the number of sick leave days in the short term. PT-A may help reach people who otherwise would not get support. |
|---|---|
| Notas: | Gesehen am 28.04.2026 |
| Descripción Física: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1423-0348 |
| DOI: | 10.1159/000549531 |