A user study of a web service for fostering the positive side of stress
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN14739582 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN14739582 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | N/A |
- Submission date
- 09/08/2019
- Registration date
- 03/09/2019
- Last edited
- 11/05/2020
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Digital services have been found promising in managing different aspects of health, also stress. We developed a web service for cultivating the positive side of stress based on the stress experiences of entrepreneurs. Our research objectives are to study the acceptance and usage of the Eustress Toolbox web service, and based on the findings, provide design implications to support the design of digital well-being services, especially in the entrepreneurial context.
Who can participate?
Our study is intended for entrepreneurs and people having an entrepreneur-type job description.
What does the study involve?
The study involves participating in a kick-off session, using the web service “Eustress Toolbox” for 6 weeks as a part of one’s daily life, responding to study questionnaires on work engagement, stress and user experience of the service. In addition, half of the participants are interviewed after the 6-week period of service use.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The participants may learn new skills related to occupational well-being. The participants are reimbursed with movie tickets; the participants attending to a final interview received four movie tickets each and other participants two movie tickets. Participation does not involve risks for the participants.
Where is the study run from?
The study is conducted in Finland by the researchers of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd and Tampere University.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
June 2015 to December 2015.
Who is funding the study?
The study is funded by Tekes - the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd and Tampere University.
Who is the main contact?
The main contact is Päivi Heikkilä (paivi.heikkila@vtt.fi) from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.
Contact information
Scientific
P. O. Box 1300
Tampere
FI-33101
Finland
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-8999-179X |
|---|---|
| Phone | +358503655111 |
| paivi.heikkila@vtt.fi |
Study information
| Study design | A single-arm 6-week field study |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Other |
| Secondary study design | |
| Study setting(s) | Internet/virtual |
| Study type | Quality of life |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet. |
| Scientific title | Field Study of a Web Service for Stimulating the Positive Side of Stress: Entrepreneurs’ Experiences and Design Implications |
| Study acronym | N/A |
| Study objectives | The study evaluated user acceptance and experience of a web service for promoting skills for experiencing positive stress. |
| Ethics approval(s) | This study did not require ethics approval according to the guidelines of the Ethics Committee of the Tampere region. The study was conducted with adult volunteers who gave informed consent, the study did not involve intervention with physical integrity of participants, or did not expose them to risks regarding to their mental health and safety. More information: https://www.tuni.fi/en/research/responsible-research/ethical-reviews-in-human-sciences |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Occupational well-being and eustress skills of entrepreneurs and entrepreneur-type employees.. |
| Intervention | The selection of participants is made based on a recruitment questionnaire to include entrepreneurs or people having an entrepreneur-like job description. The selected participants first respond to an online questionnaire on stress and work engagement. All participants are invited to a kick-off session, which introduces the phenomenon of positive stress, the study procedures and the web service to be tested. After that, they start using the web service independently, as a part of their daily life, during a six-week period. After about two weeks of use, they receive an online user experience questionnaire of their first impressions of the service, and at the end of the period, a final user experience questionnaire and the same stress and work engagement questionnaires as at baseline. Finally, about half of the participants are interviewed to deepen the data obtained with questionnaires. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | User acceptance and experience, development needs and design implications are measured with two questionnaires at 2 weeks and 6 weeks, and a final interview at 6 weeks. |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Usage activity of the web service is determined using log files after the 6-week usage period. 2. Perceived stress is measured using the Perceived Stress Scale at baseline and after the 6-week usage period. 3. Work engagement is measured using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale at baseline and after the 6-week usage period. 4. Perceived benefits of the service are measured with two single-item scales on positive and negative stress after 6-week usage period as a part of the final user experience questionnaire. |
| Overall study start date | 01/06/2015 |
| Completion date | 31/12/2015 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 20-30 |
| Total final enrolment | 22 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Entrepreneur or employee with an entrepreneur-type job description. |
| Key exclusion criteria | N/A |
| Date of first enrolment | 15/09/2015 |
| Date of final enrolment | 21/10/2015 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Finland
Study participating centres
Tampere
FI-33101
Finland
FI-33014
Finland
Sponsor information
Research organisation
P.O. Box 1000
Espoo
FI-02044
Finland
| Phone | + 358 20 722 7001 |
|---|---|
| kirjaamo@vtt.fi | |
| Website | https://www.vttresearch.com/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/04b181w54 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / Local government
- Alternative name(s)
- Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation
- Location
- Finland
Private sector organisation / For-profit companies (industry)
- Alternative name(s)
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
- Location
- Finland
Government organisation / Local government
- Alternative name(s)
- University of Tampere, UTA
- Location
- Finland
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 31/12/2019 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | We plan to publish the field study results in 2019. |
| IPD sharing plan | We can provide anonymous data for specified research questions. The data includes usage log data, as well as data from stress and work engagement questionnaires and user experience questionnaires without open-ended questions and demographic information, which may reveal the identity of the participants. The data is in Finnish and can be requested from Päivi Heikkilä, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 28/10/2019 | 11/05/2020 | Yes | No |
Editorial Notes
11/05/2020: The following changes have been made:
1. Publication reference added.
2. The total final enrolment number has been added from the reference.
02/09/2019: Trial's existence confirmed by the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation (Tekes).
