Research
The pilot study behind the DistressRx™ framework.
A pre and post evaluation of a two-hour stress-competence workshop in women physicians, developed by Ali Novitsky, MD. What we measured, what changed, and what this pilot can and cannot tell you.
42
Women physicians completed matched pre and post surveys
2 hrs
A single workshop introducing the DistressRx framework
17 of 17
Stress-competence measures improved significantly
1.10
Mean effect size, above the 0.8 threshold for a large effect
What the pilot found.
Every measured skill improved.
All 17 items measuring stress competence improved significantly after the workshop, with 14 of the 17 significant at the p < .001 level. The items covered awareness of stress patterns, vocabulary for describing distress, practical coping skill, presence with patients, and leadership behaviors.
The changes were large, not marginal.
The mean effect size across the 17 items was 1.10 as measured by Cohen’s d, where 0.8 is the accepted threshold for a large effect. Eleven of the 17 items met or exceeded that threshold.
Retention-relevant results.
Seventeen of the 42 participants reported at baseline that they were considering leaving their role within the next year. After the workshop, 11 of those 17 (65 percent) indicated that consistent stress-management support would make them less likely to leave. This measures how participants view support, not actual attrition.
How the study was run.
Forty-two women physicians completed parallel surveys before and after a two-hour workshop covering the DistressRx framework, individual stress-subtype identification, and a primary coping strategy matched to each subtype. Eighteen five-point survey items measured awareness, vocabulary, perceived skill, clinical presence, and leadership behaviors. Seventeen of those items measure stress competence and are summarized on this page. One additional item asked about a burnout symptom and is discussed separately in the full report. Responses were matched person to person, and changes were tested with standard paired statistics (Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, with effect sizes calculated as Cohen’s d).
What this pilot cannot tell you.
We state the limits up front because that is how research should be read.
- This is a within-subject pre and post pilot, not a randomized controlled trial. There is no control or wait-list group.
- Outcomes are self-reported.
- All participants were women physicians with prior coaching exposure, so findings may not generalize to other populations.
- Post-survey completion was voluntary, so selection effects cannot be ruled out.
Read the full report.
The complete pilot report includes the item-level results, the sample characteristics, and the full statistical analysis.
Curious about your own stress pattern? Take the free Stress Type quiz.
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