Managing work stress: the research agenda

The term ‘stress management intervention’ (SMI) covers a wide array of
organisational activities and initiatives designed to reduce the stress that
people experience at work and to improve the well-being of employees.
However, although some SMIs have been shown to be useful in addressing
stress and promoting well-being, there are many interventions in use that
are of uncertain efficacy. There is often a dearth of evidence to show whether
or not specific interventions are effective, and limited understanding of the
factors – contextual and individual – that might influence their efficacy. The
aim of this chapter is to highlight some of the things we do not know about
SMI and to consider the areas where future research might be targeted to fill
these gaps in our knowledge. In doing this, the chapter will review some of the
existing evidence in relation to SMI, but it is not intended to be an exhaustive
review of the literature. The chapter instead focuses on considering what we
do not yet know about SMI efficacy to develop an agenda for future research
that may serve to increase and improve our understanding of interventions to
enhance psychological well-being at work.