{ "abstract": "Background\n\nUnemployment has economic consequences and is associated with emotional distress and impairment. Joblessness is often associated with depression, leading to a vicious cycle of reduced drive to seek work, deepening financial stress, and worsening depression. Few scalable interventions exist that integrate job-search strategies with cognitive behavioral techniques.Objective\n\nThe study aimed to determine the efficacy of a Distress-Informed Return-to-Work Intervention (DRIVEN). The primary hypothesis was that DRIVEN would be more efficacious than the control condition in improving job-search behavior. Secondary analyses examined job attainment, depression, and positive affect.Methods\n\nA randomized controlled trial was conducted from August 2023 to September 2024. Assessments were at baseline, weeks 1 through 6, and 8 and 16 weeks postintervention. Participants were a nationwide sample of unemployed job seekers aged 18 years or older who had never earned more than US $100,000 in a year. Participants received either (1) DRIVEN, which included 6 weeks of cognitive behavioral exercises in a mobile app combined with three 1-hour coaching sessions over videoconference or (2) emailed articles containing job-search advice. Primary outcome measures were subscales of a modified Job Search Behavior Scale (preparatory and active job search). Secondary outcomes included job attainment and mental health outcomes.Results\n\nParticipants were a nationwide sample (N=126; mean age 33.6, SD 6.6 y), including 62 (49.2%) females. During the acute treatment phase, mixed-effects linear models showed that for DRIVEN, preparatory job-search behavior increased by an estimated 0.053 (95% CI 0.031-0.076) units per day from baseline, which was a larger effect than in the control condition (0.011, 95% CI -0.011 to 0.033 units per day; P=.008). Active job-search behavior increased by 0.061 (95% CI 0.038-0.084) units per day from baseline, which was significantly larger than in the control group (point estimate: 0.025, 95% CI 0.001-0.047; P=.03). Depression decreased more in the DRIVEN group vs control (DRIVEN point estimate=-0.214, 95% CI -0.255 to -0.172 vs control group point estimate=-0.122, 95% CI -0.163 to -0.081; P=.002), and participants were more likely to get a job in the DRIVEN group (68.3% vs 50.8%; P=.046). Self-report outcomes did not significantly differ during the follow-up periods.Conclusions\n\nDRIVEN was superior to emailed job-search advice for the primary outcome (job-search behavior) and secondary outcomes (job attainment, depression, and positive affect). This intervention may be beneficial for distressed unemployed individuals seeking work.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States, 1 773 702 1971.", "Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.", "University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, IL, United States.", "Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stephen M. Stahl Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.", "Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.", "Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.", "Helium Foot Software, Inc, Chicago, IL, United States.", "Department of Surgery, Surgical Implementation & Health Services Research, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.", "Inspiration at Work, Chicago, IL, United States." ], "article_type": "research article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 8, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0, 1, 2 ], "name": "James W Griffith", "orcid": "0000-0002-4840-8692" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Allison M Letkiewicz", "orcid": "0000-0002-6812-8735" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Mystie L Saturday", "orcid": "0000-0002-6089-2034" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Andrea K Graham", "orcid": "0000-0002-9736-8906" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Keith Alperin", "orcid": "0009-0008-7805-366X" }, { "affs": [ 2, 7 ], "name": "Elizabeth C Danielson", "orcid": "0000-0003-2792-7140" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Alexandra Levit", "orcid": "0009-0008-1698-8080" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Stewart A Shankman", "orcid": "0000-0002-8097-4483" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a1ndzsqqsa0kj.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.2196/90873", "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13717267", "id": "a1ndzsqqsa0kj", "issns": [ "1439-4456", "1438-8871" ], "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953951", "language": "eng", "licence": "CC-BY", "licence_label": "CC BY", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "heading", "Digital Mental Health Interventions, e-Mental Health and Cyberpsychology" ], [ "heading", "Mobile Health (mhealth)" ], [ "heading", "Occupational Health and Ergonomics/Prevention at the Workplace" ], [ "heading", "Original Paper" ], [ "heading", "Public Health" ], [ "heading", "Registered Report" ], [ "heading", "Web-based and Mobile Health Interventions" ], [ "openalex", "3202|Digital Mental Health Interventions" ] ], "openalex": "W7224250184", "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13717267?pdf=render", "pmcid": "PMC13717267", "pmid": "42953951", "published": "2026-10-20", "publisher": "JMIR Publications Inc.", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a1ndzsqqsa0kj.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-11-01T00:20:36Z", "native_id": "MED:42953951", "source": "europepmc", "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953951" }, { "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:21:37Z", "native_id": "PMC13717267", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.2196/90873" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "medicine", "origin": "heading:Public Health", "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health" } ], "title": "Job Coaching and Smartphone-Based Cognitive Behavioral Techniques for Returning to Work and Coping With Unemployment (DRIVEN): Randomized Controlled Trial.", "title_text": "Job Coaching and Smartphone-Based Cognitive Behavioral Techniques for Returning to Work and Coping With Unemployment (DRIVEN): Randomized Controlled Trial.", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-02T12:21:37Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a1ndzsqqsa0kj", "venue": "Journal of medical Internet research", "versions": [] }