TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of a process-based cognitive training intervention for patients with stress-related exhaustion

AU - Gavelin, Hanna Malmberg

AU - Boraxbekk, Carl Johan

AU - Stenlund, Therese

AU - Järvholm, Lisbeth Slunga

AU - Neely, Anna Stigsdotter

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2015 Taylor & Francis.

PY - 2015/9/3

Y1 - 2015/9/3

N2 - Stress-related exhaustion has been linked to a pattern of selective cognitive impairments, mainly affecting executive functioning, attention and episodic memory. Little is known about potential treatments of these cognitive deficits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a process-based cognitive training intervention, designed to target the specific cognitive impairments associated with stress-related exhaustion. To this end, patients diagnosed with exhaustion disorder (ED) were randomized to either a multimodal stress rehabilitation program with the addition of a process-based cognitive training intervention (training group, n = 27) or a treatment-as-usual control condition, consisting of multimodal stress rehabilitation with no additional training (control group, n = 32). Treatment effects were evaluated through an extensive cognitive test battery, assessing both near and far transfer effects, as well as self-report forms regarding subjective cognitive complaints and burnout levels. Results showed pronounced training-related improvements on the criterion updating task (p < 0.001). Further, evidence was found of selective near transfer effects to updating (p = 0.01) and episodic memory (p = 0.04). Also, the trained group reported less subjective memory complaints (p = 0.02) and levels of burnout decreased for both groups, but more so for the trained group (p = 0.04), following the intervention. These findings suggest that process-based cognitive training may be a viable method to address the cognitive impairments associated with ED.

AB - Stress-related exhaustion has been linked to a pattern of selective cognitive impairments, mainly affecting executive functioning, attention and episodic memory. Little is known about potential treatments of these cognitive deficits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a process-based cognitive training intervention, designed to target the specific cognitive impairments associated with stress-related exhaustion. To this end, patients diagnosed with exhaustion disorder (ED) were randomized to either a multimodal stress rehabilitation program with the addition of a process-based cognitive training intervention (training group, n = 27) or a treatment-as-usual control condition, consisting of multimodal stress rehabilitation with no additional training (control group, n = 32). Treatment effects were evaluated through an extensive cognitive test battery, assessing both near and far transfer effects, as well as self-report forms regarding subjective cognitive complaints and burnout levels. Results showed pronounced training-related improvements on the criterion updating task (p < 0.001). Further, evidence was found of selective near transfer effects to updating (p = 0.01) and episodic memory (p = 0.04). Also, the trained group reported less subjective memory complaints (p = 0.02) and levels of burnout decreased for both groups, but more so for the trained group (p = 0.04), following the intervention. These findings suggest that process-based cognitive training may be a viable method to address the cognitive impairments associated with ED.

KW - Burnout

KW - cognition

KW - executive function

KW - exhaustion disorder

KW - stress rehabilitation

KW - working memory training

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84942826867&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3109/10253890.2015.1064892

DO - 10.3109/10253890.2015.1064892

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 26305186

AN - SCOPUS:84942826867

VL - 18

SP - 578

EP - 588

JO - Stress: The International Journal on the Biology of Stress

JF - Stress: The International Journal on the Biology of Stress

SN - 1025-3890

IS - 5

ER -