Effect of a psychological program on depression, anxiety, and stress among workers of the Peruvian judiciary

Efecto de un programa psicológico sobre la depresión, ansiedad y estrés en trabajadores del poder judicial peruano

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a psychological intervention program on the   reduction of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as to determine the frequency of these problems. Materials and Methods: A quantitative study with a quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 40 judicial workers (Junín, Peru), distributed into an experimental group (n=20) and a control group (n=20). The intervention lasted six weeks. The instrument used was the DASS-21 scale. Results: In the experimental group, the median depression score before the intervention was 12, decreasing to 7 after the intervention (p < 0.001). The median anxiety decreased from 12 to 8 (p = 0.001), while the median stress decreased from 13.5 to 9 (p < 0.001). After the intervention, the evaluations of the experimental group were significantly lower compared to the control group (p < 0.001). In the control group, although the depression score did not show changes, the medians of anxiety and stress showed a significant increase (p < 0.005). In the descriptive analysis, in the pre-intervention, in the experimental group, 65% (n = 13) presented moderate depression, 55% (n = 11) moderate anxiety, and 75% (n = 15) moderate stress. Meanwhile, in the pre-intervention, in the control group, the frequencies were 65% (n = 13) for moderate depression, 55% (n = 11) for moderate anxiety, and 65% (n = 13) for moderate stress. Conclusion: The psychological intervention had a positive effect on the reduction of depression, anxiety and stress among judicial workers. Additionally, depression, anxiety and stress are common conditions among workers in this sector. Keywords:  Depression; Anxiety; Stress, Psychological; Psychosocial Intervention; Peru (Source: MeSH, NLM).