The effects of a stress inoculation training program for civil servants in Japan: a pilot study of a non-randomized controlled trial.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a stress inoculation training program for civil servants through a non-randomized trial. We divided 140 civil servants into two groups (an intervention group and a waiting list control group), and carried out three sessions with the intervention group at intervals of four weeks. The sessions included lectures on responses to stress and coping skills, problem-solving training, group discussions and self-monitoring. Data from 65 subjects in the intervention group and 63 subjects in the waiting list group were analyzed using two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The intervention group showed statistically significant development of problem-solving skills and positive cognition, with a significant effect remaining one month after the intervention. The effect sizes in the intervention group showed a small-to-medium change in problem-solving coping and small changes in positive cognitive coping. However, no interventional effects were seen in terms of response to stress and health competence. As the number of existing studies on job stress management for workers is limited, further research in this field is necessary, including examination of the frequency and methods of intervention sessions, the effects of intervention by gender, etc.