Advantages and disadvantages of online and blended therapy: Replication and extension of findings on psychotherapists' appraisals
Therapists hold a key role for the uptake of digital mental health interventions (DMHI) within regular care services but have demonstrated cautious attitudes towards such interventions. It is relevant to explore in detail what factors may positively influence therapists' perception when conside...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Internet Interventions |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214782920300154 |
| _version_ | 1819209083750711296 |
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| author | Raphael Schuster Naira Topooco Antonia Keller Ella Radvogin Anton-Rupert Laireiter |
| author_facet | Raphael Schuster Naira Topooco Antonia Keller Ella Radvogin Anton-Rupert Laireiter |
| author_sort | Raphael Schuster |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Therapists hold a key role for the uptake of digital mental health interventions (DMHI) within regular care services but have demonstrated cautious attitudes towards such interventions. It is relevant to explore in detail what factors may positively influence therapists' perception when considering DMHI implementation within routine care. We recently assessed therapist views towards Internet-based and blended treatment in Austria (low implementation level). The present study aims at testing the reliability of previous findings, and moreover, it compares therapists' appraisals to a country with advanced DMHI implementation (Sweden).An online survey was conducted February through June of 2019. Respondents were recruited via email and social media. The survey assessed first-hand experience with Internet-based treatment (IT) and blended treatment (BT). To start, the survey presented a short informational video to half of the respondents, then assessed therapists' views on 17 advantages and 13 disadvantages of IT and BT on 6-point Likert scales.In total N = 300 therapists responded to the invitation, of which N = 165 provided full survey data (Germany 114/220, 52%; Sweden 51/80, 64%). German therapists rated the advantages of IT and BT as neutral (IT, M = 3.6; BT, M = 3.8) and to some extent agreed with disadvantages of IT (IT, M = 4.5; BT, M = 3.5). In comparison, Swedish therapists rated significantly greater advantages (IT, M = 4.6; BT, M = 4.5) and less disadvantages (IT, M = 3.2; BT, M = 2.8). Effect sizes ranged from d = 0.89 to d = 1.83; all P's < .001. Those with first-hand experience with DMHI reported more positive appraisals in both countries. No significant effect was found for exposure to the short informational video. The German sample represented essential characteristics of current German therapists; in comparison Swedish respondents skewed towards younger less experienced therapists (P's < .001). Those confounders accounted for a small non-significant proportion of variance (0.1–4.7%).We found that therapists considered blended treatment to have less disadvantages than Internet treatment, and that first-hand experience with DMHI, but not exposure to an acceptance facilitating video clip, predicted greater acceptability on individual level. The responses among German therapists closely resembled findings from our preceding study in Austria, indicating that reliable results can be achieved in small survey studies if sample and population parameters correspond. Swedish therapists held significantly more favorable attitudes towards both interventions. The comparison between countries, however, is limited by a number of potential confounding variables. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T05:49:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ed8ee4ec31104dff9696df0019619fc4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2214-7829 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T05:49:39Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Internet Interventions |
| spelling | doaj.art-ed8ee4ec31104dff9696df0019619fc42022-12-21T17:57:59ZengElsevierInternet Interventions2214-78292020-09-0121100326Advantages and disadvantages of online and blended therapy: Replication and extension of findings on psychotherapists' appraisalsRaphael Schuster0Naira Topooco1Antonia Keller2Ella Radvogin3Anton-Rupert Laireiter4Outpatient Center for Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Corresponding author.Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Center for m2Health, Palo Alto, CA, USADepartment of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, AustriaDepartment of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, SwedenOutpatient Center for Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, AustriaTherapists hold a key role for the uptake of digital mental health interventions (DMHI) within regular care services but have demonstrated cautious attitudes towards such interventions. It is relevant to explore in detail what factors may positively influence therapists' perception when considering DMHI implementation within routine care. We recently assessed therapist views towards Internet-based and blended treatment in Austria (low implementation level). The present study aims at testing the reliability of previous findings, and moreover, it compares therapists' appraisals to a country with advanced DMHI implementation (Sweden).An online survey was conducted February through June of 2019. Respondents were recruited via email and social media. The survey assessed first-hand experience with Internet-based treatment (IT) and blended treatment (BT). To start, the survey presented a short informational video to half of the respondents, then assessed therapists' views on 17 advantages and 13 disadvantages of IT and BT on 6-point Likert scales.In total N = 300 therapists responded to the invitation, of which N = 165 provided full survey data (Germany 114/220, 52%; Sweden 51/80, 64%). German therapists rated the advantages of IT and BT as neutral (IT, M = 3.6; BT, M = 3.8) and to some extent agreed with disadvantages of IT (IT, M = 4.5; BT, M = 3.5). In comparison, Swedish therapists rated significantly greater advantages (IT, M = 4.6; BT, M = 4.5) and less disadvantages (IT, M = 3.2; BT, M = 2.8). Effect sizes ranged from d = 0.89 to d = 1.83; all P's < .001. Those with first-hand experience with DMHI reported more positive appraisals in both countries. No significant effect was found for exposure to the short informational video. The German sample represented essential characteristics of current German therapists; in comparison Swedish respondents skewed towards younger less experienced therapists (P's < .001). Those confounders accounted for a small non-significant proportion of variance (0.1–4.7%).We found that therapists considered blended treatment to have less disadvantages than Internet treatment, and that first-hand experience with DMHI, but not exposure to an acceptance facilitating video clip, predicted greater acceptability on individual level. The responses among German therapists closely resembled findings from our preceding study in Austria, indicating that reliable results can be achieved in small survey studies if sample and population parameters correspond. Swedish therapists held significantly more favorable attitudes towards both interventions. The comparison between countries, however, is limited by a number of potential confounding variables.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214782920300154Internet-based treatmentBlended therapyBlended careAttitudesStakeholdersAcceptance |
| spellingShingle | Raphael Schuster Naira Topooco Antonia Keller Ella Radvogin Anton-Rupert Laireiter Advantages and disadvantages of online and blended therapy: Replication and extension of findings on psychotherapists' appraisals Internet Interventions Internet-based treatment Blended therapy Blended care Attitudes Stakeholders Acceptance |
| title | Advantages and disadvantages of online and blended therapy: Replication and extension of findings on psychotherapists' appraisals |
| title_full | Advantages and disadvantages of online and blended therapy: Replication and extension of findings on psychotherapists' appraisals |
| title_fullStr | Advantages and disadvantages of online and blended therapy: Replication and extension of findings on psychotherapists' appraisals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Advantages and disadvantages of online and blended therapy: Replication and extension of findings on psychotherapists' appraisals |
| title_short | Advantages and disadvantages of online and blended therapy: Replication and extension of findings on psychotherapists' appraisals |
| title_sort | advantages and disadvantages of online and blended therapy replication and extension of findings on psychotherapists appraisals |
| topic | Internet-based treatment Blended therapy Blended care Attitudes Stakeholders Acceptance |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214782920300154 |
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