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Abstract Background In Patients suffering from post-COVID syndrome, in addition to physical limitations, cognitive limitations, fatigue, dyspnea as well as depression and anxiety disorders may also be present. Up to now (as of May 2022), approx. 514 million people worldwide have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, in Germany this affects approx. 25 million. In Germany, 2.5 million people could potentially be affected by post-COVID syndrome. Post-COVID is thus a highly relevant public health issue. So far, there is no specific causal therapy for the post-COVID syndrome, but with multimodal symptom-oriented rehabilitation, the course can be favourably influenced. However, there is no study yet that focuses on patients in different rehabilitation indications and compares the focal symptomatology and coping strategies as well as the patients' benefit per indication. Methods/design As first objective, pulmonal, cardiac, neurological, cognitive or/and psychological functional impairments in rehabilitation patients after COVID-19 disease will be described. The second objective is the differentiated review of the specific rehabilitation measures, in the short term and in the longer term for the purpose of future prognoses and optimisation of therapeutic interventions. This prospective, non-randomised, controlled longitudinal study, plus multi-group comparisons will take place in seven rehabilitation clinics of different specialisations: cardiological rehab, pneumological rehab, neurological rehab, psychosomatic rehab. Within 12 months, 1000 cases across all participating centres will be included. Somatic and psychological testing will be conducted at three measurement points: Admission (t0), discharge (t1), 6-montas Catamnesis (t2). The patients receive the usual care according to the respective rehabilitation priorities, adapted to the special challenges of post-COVID symptoms. Patients of the post-COVID outpatient clinic without rehabilitation will be used as a control group. Discussion This study will precisely assess the extent to which subclinical neurological or/and psychological impairments are present in post-COVID-19 rehabilitation and the results will help, developing, providing and evaluating appropriate treatment concepts. This may also have relevant implications for the improvement of physical ability and quality of life in post-COVID-19 patients and increase the probability of return to work. Trial registration Z-2022-1749-8, registered 03. February 2022, https://studienanmeldung.zks-regensburg.de

Abstract Background Common mental disorders are one of the leading causes for sickness absence and early retirement due to reduced health. Furthermore, a treatment gap for common mental disorders has been described worldwide. Within this study, psychotherapeutic consultation at work defined as a tailored, module-based and work-related psychotherapeutic intervention will be applied to improve mental health care. Methods This study comprises a randomised controlled multicentre trial with 1:1 allocation to an intervention and control group. In total, 520 employees with common mental disorders shall be recruited from companies being located around five study centres in Germany. Besides care as usual, the intervention group will receive up to 17 sessions of psychotherapy. The first session will include basics diagnostics and medical indication of treatment and the second session will include work-related diagnostics. Then, participants of the intervention group may receive work-related psychotherapeutic consultation for up to ten sessions. Further psychotherapeutic consultation during return to work for up to five sessions will be offered where appropriate. The control group will receive care as usual and the first intervention session of basic diagnostics and medical indication of treatment. After enrolment to the study, participants will be followed up after nine (first follow-up) and fifteen (second follow-up) months. Self-reported days of sickness absence within the last 6 months at the second follow-up will be used as the primary outcome and self-efficacy at the second follow-up as the secondary outcome. Furthermore, a cost-benefit assessment related to costs of common mental disorders for social insurances and companies will be performed. Discussion Psychotherapeutic consultation at work represents a low threshold care model aiming to overcome treatment gaps for employees with common mental disorders. If successfully implemented and evaluated, it might serve as a role model to the care of employees with common mental disorders and might be adopted in standard care in cooperation with sickness and pension insurances in Germany. Trial registration The friaa project was registered at the German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS) at 01.03.2021 (DRKS00023049): https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00023049 .

Abstract Background Currently, a suitable questionnaire in German language is not available to monitor the progression and evaluate the severity of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Therefore, this study aimed to translate the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (GSRS-IBS) into German and to evaluate its psychometric qualities and factorial structure. Methods This study is based on a total sample of 372 participants [62.6% female, mean age = 41 years (SD = 17 years)]. 17.5% of the participants had a diagnosis of IBS, 19.9% were receiving treatment for chronic inflammatory bowel disease, 12.1% of the participants were recruited from a psychosomatic clinic, and 50.5% belonged to a control group. All participants completed the German version of GSRS-IBS (called Reizdarm-Fragebogen, RDF), as well as the Gießen Subjective Complaints List (GBB-24) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - German version (HADS-D). Results The internal consistency of the RDF total scale was at least satisfactory in all subsamples (Cronbach’s Alpha between .77 and .92), and for all subscales (Cronbach’s Alpha between .79 and .91). The item difficulties (between .25 and .73) and the item-total correlations (between .48 and .83) were equally satisfactory. Principal axis analysis revealed a four-factorial structure of the RDF items, which mainly resembled the structure of the English original. Convergent validity was established based on substantial and significant correlations with the stomach-complaint scale of the GBB-24 (r = .71; p