Effects of web-based supervisor training on supervisor support and psychological distress among workers: a randomized controlled trial
Introduction
Previous research has shown that greater supervisor support, as one of the dimensions of worksite social support, has a beneficial effect on worker health [1]. Supervisor support has been associated with a wide range of better health outcomes among workers, for example, less depression [2], less fatigue [3], greater job satisfaction [4], [5], lower blood pressure [1], [6], fewer musculoskeletal problems [7], [8], [9], successful return to work [10], and greater productivity [5].
To prevent adverse health effects of psychosocial job stressors, studies have focused on ways to improve the work environment [11]. One of the key elements that is targeted for improvement in the work environment is supervisor support. Two major roles that supervisors can play in promoting better mental health among workers are: (a) to listen to their subordinates, provide necessary information and advice, and consult with mental health services, if applicable, and (b) to improve difficulties and problems on the job, which might be a source of worker stress, through day-to-day practices related to the management of the workplace [12], [13]. Supervisors are a source of emotional, informational, and instrumental social support as well as being key individuals in preventing job stressors in the work environment [14]. In addition to strategies, such as increased communication through meetings or greater opportunities for worker participation, a supervisor education/training program on these topics might be effective for increasing supervisor support and decreasing job stressors, which would ultimately reduce work-related strain and enhance workers' health and well-being.
However, only a few attempts have been made to evaluate the effects of supervisor training in reducing psychosocial job stressors and improving mental health among workers. Some studies have focused on supervisor training involving the skills of listening to subordinate workers (so called “active listening' training”). Kubota et al. [15] conducted a 2-day workshop on listening skills for supervisors and found that after the training, the supervisors reported that they listened more attentively to their subordinates. This study, however, did not assess the effects of supervisor training on stress reduction or the mental health of their subordinates. The interpretation of the findings was also limited since the study had no control group and there was the possibility of bias, such as a natural course or regression to the mean.
As an innovated method of education, web-based training has recently become a part of health education in industrial settings [16], as well as being used for the general population [17], [18], [19]. Web-based training has been reported to be effective for workplace health and safety [16], injury prevention [18], nutrition education [17], and smoking cessation [19]. It may also be useful in training supervisors for enhancing supervisor support and mental health among subordinates. The merit of web-based supervisor training compared with traditional lectures and workshops are: (1) Participants do not have to attend a lecture together, which sometimes results in a significant reduction of time on the job and considerable expenses in traveling to the training site. (2) Web-based training provides greater flexibility for participants: Supervisors can access the training at their own pace and anywhere and anytime they like. (3) Supervisors may repeat the lesson as many as needed. (4) The progress made by supervisors can be monitored by a central personnel office, which controls the entire learning process. On the other hand, the effects of web-based training may be limited because there is no personal interaction with a lecturer, tutor, or other participants. The effectiveness of web-based supervisor training on worksite mental health should be evaluated in a scientific manner to ascertain its efficacy and limitations for stress prevention and the improvement of mental health in the workplace.
Our newly developed web-based training program for supervisors on the subject of worksite mental health, is called “E-learning Worksite Mental Health for Supervisors” (Fujitsu Infosoft Technology Co. Ltd., Japan, 2002). We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the effects of web-based supervisor training on the improvement of supervisor support and the psychological well-being of subordinate workers.
Section snippets
Study design and participants
The study site was a computer software engineering company located in Okayama City, Japan that had a total of 219 employees. All section chiefs (n = 16) of this company were randomly assigned to a training group (n = 9) or a non-training group (n = 7). Managers ranked higher than section chief were excluded from the web-based training and subsequent analyses. In November 2002, the section chiefs in the training group were asked to participate for one to four weeks in the web-based supervisor
Change in supervisors' knowledge and attitude
A comparison of knowledge and attitude toward worksite mental health at baseline and just after completing the web-based training indicated that understanding of how to listen to subordinates and how to support subordinates returning to work after experiencing mental health problems significantly increased after the web-based training (Table 1).
Changes in worker perception of worksite support
In the ITT analysis, while the score of supervisor support greatly decreased at the follow-up from the baseline among subordinate workers in the control
Discussion
This is the first study that reports the effect of web-based training of supervisors on supervisor support and mental health among workers using an RCT. The follow-up rates of subordinate workers were relatively high and comparable in the intervention and control groups. A bias due to lost to follow-up was unlikely. Job overload and job control were similar between the two groups at baseline and at follow-up. Unfortunately, possibly because of the small number of supervisors (or workplaces) in
Acknowledgments
The study was supported by a “Partnership between Universities and Industry Program (A)” (2001–2003) between the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and Fujitsu Infosoft Technology, Co., Ltd.
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