Social Support Via a Telephone Intervention For Workers' Compensation Clients
This study examined the effects of providing a social support telephone intervention for workers' compensation clients receiving treatment at an outpatient rehabilitation center. For subjects receiving the telephone intervention, a brief expectancy manipulation was included concerning the efficacy of telephone intervention. Thirty-five subjects were assigned randomly to one of three experimental groups: 'no-call' control group, neutral expectancy telephone intervention group, and positive expectancy telephone intervention group. Measures of enacted social support, pain, and mood were obtained twice, once before treatment and once after treatment. Measures of telephone social support, expectancy, and hassles were obtained after treatment. Results indicated that subjects who received the telephone intervention perceived the calls as providing social support and as helpful in mobilizing their natural support systems. Subjects in the two intervention groups also reported a significant reduction in pain from pre to post measure. Results also revealed that subjects who received the positive expectancy manipulation, expected significantly more support from the telephone interviewer than the neutral expectancy and the 'no-call' controls. The results suggest the usefulness of providing a telephone intervention for this population and for providing a brief expectancy manipulation in a clinical setting.
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