Promoting resilience in work rehabilitation: development of a transdiagnostic intervention

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to develop an operationalized transdiagnostic resilience-based intervention for workers at risk of long-term work disability.

Methods

A sequential mixed method design was used. Expert clinicians (n = 10) first answered a questionnaire including closed and open-ended questions on the clarity, applicability, relevance and exhaustiveness of a preliminary resilience intervention developed from evidenced-informed resilience factors to prompt reflection. Second, proposals from the questionnaire were discussed at a consensus group meeting with the same experts, yielding a final and improved intervention. Third, semi-structured interviews with work-disabled workers (n = 6) explored the intervention’s acceptability to them. Thematic analysis of the verbatim was performed.

Results

Experts identified 15 statements on clarity, applicability, relevance or exhaustiveness in the questionnaire that did not achieve consensus and generated 41 modification proposals. The consensus group adopted 15 modifications. The adapted intervention was well-accepted by the workers who had completed a work rehabilitation program. They perceived the intervention as positive, relevant, coherent, useful and consistent with their values.

Conclusion

A new transdiagnostic resilience intervention in work rehabilitation is available and was on exploratory basis seen acceptable by workers. Next step would be to validate it at a larger scale with more workers and other stakeholders.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Promoting workers resilience in work rehabilitation fosters a holistic approach in clinical practice.

• Resilience interventions should be integrated into work rehabilitation programs.

• A new transdiagnostic resilience intervention designed to complement current work rehabilitation programs is available.

Keywords:

• Resilience
• psychosocial
• work rehabilitation
• transdiagnostic
• musculoskeletal diseases
• mental disorders
• logic model

Acknowledgments

The principal author wishes to express her gratitude to the Research Chair in work rehabilitation (Fondation J. Armand Bombardier – Pratt & Whitney Canada) https://www.usherbrooke.ca/caprit/chaire-de-recherche/ for awarding her a master’s degree scholarship and providing logistical support that enabled her to conduct this study. She is also thankful to the Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Québec (OEQ) for the 2016 master’s degree research project award that helped fund this study.

Ethical approval and informed consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Research Ethics Committee of the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS) and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all participants for their inclusion in the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.