Stress Control Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Stress Control classes within IAPT services in South and West Yorkshire
IRAS ID
171802
Contact name
Mike Lucock
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Huddersfield
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 0 days
Research summary
Stress Control (SC) is a six session educational class which can be provided to large groups of people in community settings who experience common mental health problems like stress, anxiety and low mood. It is now the most widely used stress management course provided in the NHS, frequently provided by Improving Access to Psychological therapies (IAPT) services. Typically sessions are weekly and last for about 90 minutes with a short break. Although some studies have suggested SC is an effective intervention for common mental health problems, in routine practice many patients offered SC never turn up to any sessions, and about one third of patients drop out half way through treatment. The high volume nature of SC is very promising in terms of cost-efficiency (e.g. seeing many more patients with fewer staff resources), but our observations suggest that there is room for improvement in terms of engagement and effectiveness.
This study aims to scope the current provision of SC across various IAPT services in South and West Yorkshire to understand how patients access this treatment option. We will also gather anonymous clinical data for various IAPT services to investigate the access/dropout/clinical outcome estimates for SC participants, as well as to map the flow of SC participants through the wider psychological treatment care pathway. This work will enable us to understand which service and patient factors may be associated with engagement and clinical outcomes for SC participants. Secondary analyses will enable us to compare the outcomes of SC interventions with the outcomes of individual low intensity interventions for common mental health problems.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NE/0062
Date of REC Opinion
24 Feb 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion