Anxiety, Depression, and Stress Among Women in Work Rehabilitation for Stress-Related Disorders

Abstract

Work-related stress and its consequences are a major concern in many Western countries, which makes rehabilitation an important issue. This article investigates the roles of anxiety and depression in perceived stress among women in work rehabilitation. Eighty-four women participated in a quasi-experimental study with three measurement points—baseline, discharge, and a 12-month follow-up. Half of them received the Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO) lifestyle intervention and the others received care as usual (CAU ). At baseline, more cases of anxiety disorder and depression were indicated in the ReDO group than in the CAU group, but the differences had leveled at discharge and the follow-up. Anxiety and depression each accounted for about 25 percent of the variance in stress at discharge and at the follow-up, but when collinearity was considered, anxiety was the stronger predictor of stress. The initial differences between the ReDO and CAU groups leveled over time, suggesting that the ReDO intervention might have had some effect on the women's perceived anxiety and depression. Generally, in work rehabilitation for women with stress-related disorders, anxiety and depression may need to be monitored to successfully reduce the participants' level of stress.