Improvement in social anxiety following a return-to-work intervention for patients with depression

To retrospectively examine depression and social anxiety improvement in patients on sick leave due to depression who participated in a return-to-work intervention (RTW-I) program. Patients visited a psychiatric outpatient clinic simulating workplaces to learn recurrence prevention skills through RTW-Is, including group cognitive behavioral therapy, from April 1, 2013, to September 30, 2017. The Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), Social Adaptation Self-Evaluation Scale (SASS), and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) scores of 112 patients were analyzed before and after the intervention program. Missing postprogram data were substituted using the last observation carried forward scores. Next, 45 patients who responded to the work continuity survey 1 year after RTW-I were categorized into Group A (patients who continued working: 37) and Group B (those who did not continue: 8). The mean BDI-II scores significantly decreased from preintervention 19.4 to postintervention 7.9 (t = 13.303, P