Feasibility and Acceptability of the Online JOBS Program

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The aim of this study is to test the feasibility and acceptability of a web-based adaptation of the Jobs program (developed by Curran et al., 1999).

Detailed Description
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The current study is an open trial that will test the feasibility and acceptability of a web-based adaptation of the Jobs program (further be referred to as iJobs). We will use a repeated measures design: one group and three measurements (baseline, post-intervention, 3 months follow-up). iJobs consists of five sessions spread over a two-week period. The participants will learn and exercise successful job search strategies (e.g. finding job openings, creating an attractive resume, demonstrating effective interviews).

Official Title
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iJobs - Testing the Feasibility and Acceptability of an Online Adaptation of the Jobs Program: an Open-label Pilot Study

Conditions
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Unemployment

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: iJobs


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Unemployed and looking for a job Work as volunteers and looking for a paid job Have a PC or laptop and basic digital competencies Exclusion Criteria: They don't have internet access and are not available during the two weeks of the program Suffer from a chronic disease that implies special conditions for taking part in the activities Severe clinical depression symptoms (Cut-off=15 at PHQ9)* Severe clinical anxiety symptoms (Cut-off=15 at GAD7)* (*) will be included if they receive mental health treatment

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 60 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Open-label pilot study
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: iJobs<br>All the participants will be included in the program. | Behavioral: iJobs<br>* During the program, the participants will learn and exercise successful job search strategies. The web-based adaptation of the Jobs program will allow self-administration. After each session, they will receive written feedback from trainers on the platform.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Job search behavior effort | Job search behavior effort: Job Search Behavior Scale (Blau, 1994) was designed to measure participants' involvement in job search activities, in terms of frequency and intensity. The minimum score is 16 and the maximum is 80. A higher score means a better outcome (increased job search behavior effort). | Change from baseline to follow-up (3 months). | 
| Satisfaction with the intervention | Satisfaction with the intervention will be measured using 22 items. We will use 6 items aiming at the program's content retrieved from a questionnaire used for measuring the alliance between trainers and trainees in a face-to-face JOBS intervention. The minimum score is 6 and the highest is 42. A higher score means a better outcome (increased satisfaction with the intervention). Also, we will use 16 items retrieved from a scale previously used for measuring the satisfaction with an online intervention delivered on the same platform as we will use for our program. Nine of the items are measured on a Likert scale. The minimum score is 7 and the maximum is 42. A higher score means greater satisfaction. 7 items are open-ended questions and imply qualitative analysis. | Post-intervention (2 weeks). | 
| System usability | We will use a 10 item questionnaire (Bangor et al., 2009) designed to measure participants' satisfaction with e-cbt, the online platform used for the program delivery. The total score of System Usability Scale is 0 and the highest one is 100. A higher score means a better outcome. | Post-intervention (2 weeks). | 
| Treatment adherence | The number of completed assignments; Quality of completed assignment (qualitative rating of the degree of completeness and depth of the answer for each assignment, conducted by two independent experts based on apriori established coding grids). | Post-intervention only (2 weeks). | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Job-Search Self-Efficacy | Job Search Self-Efficacy Scale was designed to measure participants' perception of their ability to gain employment. We will use the 20 item version of the scale developed by Saks et al., 2015. The minimum score is 20 and the maximum is 100. A higher score means a better outcome (increased job search self-efficacy). | Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks). | 
| Self-esteem | Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale is a self-esteem measure widely used in social science research. It is a ten-item Likert-type scale with items answered on a four-point scale-from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The scale measures global self-worth by measuring both positive and negative feelings about the self. The minimum score of Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale is 10 and the highest one is 40. A higher score means a better outcome. | Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks). | 
| Inoculation against setbacks | We will use 2 items retrieved from previous studies (Vuori & Vinokur, 2005) aiming to measure the effectiveness of JOBS intervention in terms of participant's ability to deal with setbacks. The minimum score is 2 and the maximum is 10. A higher score means a better outcome (presence of inoculation against setbacks). | Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks). | 
| Future Career Anxiety | We will measure participant's anxiety regarding their future career in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak with the Future Career Anxiety Scale developed by Tsai et al., 2017 (Mahmud et al., 2020). The minimum score is 5 and the maximum is 25. A higher score means a worse outcome (increased anxiety). | Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks). | 
| Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9) | Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was designed to measure participants' severity of depression using DSM IV criteria. The minimum score of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 is 0 and the highest one is 27. A higher score means a worse outcome (more severe symptoms of depression). | Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks). | 
| Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD7) | Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment is a self-administered 7 item instrument that uses some of the DSM-V criteria for GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) to identify probable cases of GAD along with measuring anxiety symptom severity. The minimum score of Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment is 0 and the highest one is 21. A higher score means a worse outcome (a higher level of anxiety). | Change from baseline to post-intervention (2 weeks). | 
| Employment status | Self-reported employment status (phone screening). | Follow-up (3 months). | 
| Job Quality | For those who found employment - phone screening. | Follow-up (3 months). |