Online Song Intervention Program to Cope with Work Distress of Remote Dispatched Workers: Music for an Adaptive Environment in the Hyperconnected Era

With the increasing demands of long-term overseas assignments, workers in isolated environments, such as maritime crews, often experience heightened psychological stress and a lack of accessible emotional support. This study investigates the effectiveness of online song intervention program based on contextual support model in reducing work-related distress and enhancing psychological resilience among the ship crews dispatched for an extensive period for work. Eighteen overseas workers participated in a four-week intervention that included both individual and group sessions, where they engaged with songs to cultivate personal and interpersonal resources. A deductive content analysis following the intervention revealed 3 main categories, 6 generic categories, and 14 subcategories. The three main categories identified were relationships, autonomy, and mood regulation. The relationships category encompassed support systems and bonding, focusing on empathy, consolation, positive perspective, vicarious empowerment, trust, and changes of perspective. Autonomy involved fostering a sense of control and fulfillment through determination, anticipation, motivation, and achievement. Mood regulation was divided into grounding and emotional resolution, which included containment, sedation, externalization, and ventilation. The findings highlight that song lyrics offer valuable insights for developing resources aimed at mood regulation, social support, and self-efficacy, helping to alleviate work-related stress during dispatch periods. Songs also foster a sense of control, competence, and relational connectedness, with mood regulation emerging as a key feature of their emotional impact. These results suggest that incorporating songs with lyrics focused on personal and interpersonal resources could be an effective strategy to support remotely dispatched workers. Furthermore, this approach appears to be a viable and scalable solution for online programs.