The impact of prostate cancer on partners: A qualitative exploration
- Wootten, Addie, Abbott, Jo-Anne, Osborne, Dawn, Austin, David, Klein, Britt, Costello, Anthony, Murphy, Declan
- Authors: Wootten, Addie , Abbott, Jo-Anne , Osborne, Dawn , Austin, David , Klein, Britt , Costello, Anthony , Murphy, Declan
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Psycho-Oncology Vol. 23, no. 11 (2014), p. 1252-1258
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: Prostate cancer and its treatment can result in numerous physical and psychological morbidities for the patient as well as his partner. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of intimate spouses or partners of men diagnosed and/or treated for prostate cancer to better understand the personal impact of prostate cancer on the partner. Methods: Twenty-seven partners participated in this study. Six focus groups were convened, and one in-depth interview was undertaken to explore the practical impact of prostate cancer on the intimate spouse/partner. All discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed and then coded using a thematic approach. Results: Six themes emerged: (a) The influence of the man's response to prostate cancer on the partner, (b) The need to be involved in treatment and medical decision making, (c) Supporting a man who is experiencing a loss of masculinity, (d) Degree of congruence between each partner's coping responses, (e) Constrained communication, and (f) Changed roles and increased practical management. Conclusions: It is clear that prostate cancer impacts substantially on many areas of partner well-being. An effective intervention provided to this population seems warranted and may lead to improvements in partner well-being, assist the couple in lessening the impact of prostate cancer and its treatment on their relationship, and assist in the man's recovery. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
- Shandley, Kerrie, Austin, David, Klein, Britt, Kyrios, Michael
- Authors: Shandley, Kerrie , Austin, David , Klein, Britt , Kyrios, Michael
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Health Education Research Vol. 25, no. 4 (2010), p. 563-574
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The objective of this study was to conduct an evaluation of Reach Out Central (ROC), an online gaming program designed to support the mental health of people aged 16-25. The evaluation sought to determine the benefit of playing ROC on alcohol use, use of coping strategies, psychological distress, resilience and satisfaction with life. Changes in mental health literacy, mental health stigma and willingness to seek help and program satisfaction were also investigated. A single group (N=266) quasi-experimental repeated measures (pre-, post-program, 2-month follow-up) design was employed. The results demonstrated positive improvements across all outcome measures for females; however, a non-significant worsening effect was observed for males on seeking support, avoidance and resilience. Improvements for both genders were observed on mental health literacy and help-seeking. However, literacy levels and help-seeking were significantly higher, and stigma significantly lower for females. Program satisfaction ratings were high irrespective of gender. Although some inconsistencies between genders were noted, ROC appears to enhance protective factors for the prevention or early intervention of mental health disorders. The results of this study need to be viewed with its limitations in mind, specifically, the use of an open trial methodology and the small number of male participants. © The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Internet-based treatment for panic disorder: Does frequency of therapist contact make a difference?
- Klein, Britt, Austin, David, Pier, Ciaran, Kiropoulos, Litza, Shandley, Kerrie, Mitchell, Joanna, Gilson, Kathryn, Ciechomski, Lisa
- Authors: Klein, Britt , Austin, David , Pier, Ciaran , Kiropoulos, Litza , Shandley, Kerrie , Mitchell, Joanna , Gilson, Kathryn , Ciechomski, Lisa
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Vol. 38, no. 2 (2009), p. 100-113
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Internet-based interventions with therapist support have proven effective for treating a range of mental health conditions. This study examined whether frequency of therapist contact affected treatment outcomes. Fifty-seven people with panic disorder (including 32 with agoraphobia) were randomly allocated to an 8-week Internet-based cognitive behavioural treatment intervention (Panic Online) with either frequent (three e-mails per week) or infrequent (one e-mail per week) support from a psychologist. Posttreatment, intention-to-treat analyses revealed that both treatments were effective at improving panic disorder and agoraphobia severity ratings, panic-related cognitions, negative affect, and psychological and physical quality of life domains, with no differences between conditions. High end-state functioning was achieved by 28.6% of the frequent and infrequent participants, respectively. Therapist alliance, treatment credibility, and satisfaction also did not differ between groups, despite significantly greater therapist time invested in the frequent contact condition. The results provide evidence that the effectiveness of Internet-based mental health interventions may be independent of the frequency of therapist support and may, therefore, be more cost-effective than previously reported. © 2009 Taylor & Francis.
- Klein, Britt, Mitchell, Joanna, Abbott, Jo-Anne, Shandley, Kerrie, Austin, David, Gilson, Kathryn, Kiropoulos, Litza, Cannard, Gwenda, Redman, Tomi
- Authors: Klein, Britt , Mitchell, Joanna , Abbott, Jo-Anne , Shandley, Kerrie , Austin, David , Gilson, Kathryn , Kiropoulos, Litza , Cannard, Gwenda , Redman, Tomi
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Anxiety Disorders Vol. 24, no. 6 (2010), p. 635-644
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study was an open trial evaluation of a 10-week therapist-assisted cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) internet intervention (PTSD Online) undertaken with people with a primary clinical diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (n= 22) at pre-assessment. Participants were re-assessed at post-assessment and 3-month follow-up. Significant improvements on PTSD severity ratings and related PTSD symptomatology were observed at post-assessment and maintained at 3-month follow-up. At post-assessment, 69.2% of the sample showed clinically significant improvement and 77% of the sample at follow-up assessment. Non-significant, yet improved, change was observed on all other general psychological measures. Overall, treatment satisfaction was good (69%), participant therapeutic alliance ratings were high (87.5%), and the average total therapist time required was 194.5. min. PTSD Online appears to be an efficacious treatment option for people with PTSD that can be provided entirely remotely, with far less therapist time than traditional face-to-face treatment, and without compromising therapeutic alliance. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Development of an online intervention for bipolar disorder. www.moodswings.net.au
- Lauder, Sue, Chester, Andrea, Castle, David, Dodd, Seetal, Berk, Lesley, Klein, Britt, Austin, David, Gilbert, Monica, Chamberlain, James, Murray, Greg, White, Carolynne, Piterman, Leon, Berk, Michael
- Authors: Lauder, Sue , Chester, Andrea , Castle, David , Dodd, Seetal , Berk, Lesley , Klein, Britt , Austin, David , Gilbert, Monica , Chamberlain, James , Murray, Greg , White, Carolynne , Piterman, Leon , Berk, Michael
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Psychology, Health and Medicine Vol. 18, no. 2 (2013), p. 155-165
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: We describe the development process and completed structure, of a self-help online intervention for bipolar disorder, known as MoodSwings (www.moodswings.net.au). The MoodSwings program was adapted as an Internet intervention from an efficacious and validated face-to-face, group-based psychosocial intervention. The adaptation was created by a psychologist, who had previously been involved with the validation of the face-to-face program, in collaboration with website designers. The project was conducted under the supervision of a team of clinician researchers. The website is available at no cost to registered participants. Self-help modules are accessed sequentially. Other features include a mood diary and a moderated discussion board. There has been an average of 1,475,135 hits on the site annually (2008 and 2009), with some 7400 unique visitors each year. A randomised controlled trial based on this program has been completed. Many people with bipolar disorder are accepting of the Internet as a source of treatment and, once engaged, show acceptable retention rates. The Internet appears to be a viable means of delivering psychosocial self-help strategies. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
Online alcohol interventions: A systematic review
- White, Angela, Kavanagh, David, Stallman, Helen, Klein, Britt, Kay-Lambkin, Frances, Proudfoot, Judith, Drennan, Judy, Connor, Jason, Baker, Amanda, Hines, Emily, Young, Ross
- Authors: White, Angela , Kavanagh, David , Stallman, Helen , Klein, Britt , Kay-Lambkin, Frances , Proudfoot, Judith , Drennan, Judy , Connor, Jason , Baker, Amanda , Hines, Emily , Young, Ross
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Journal of Medical Internet Research Vol. 12, no. 5 (2010), p. e62p.1-e62p.12
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: There has been a significant increase in the availability of online programs for alcohol problems. A systematic review of the research evidence underpinning these programs is timely. Objectives: Our objective was to review the efficacy of online interventions for alcohol misuse. Systematic searches of Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus were conducted for English abstracts (excluding dissertations) published from 1998 onward. Search terms were: (1) Internet, Web*; (2) online, computer *; (3) alcohol*; and (4) Eeffect *, trial*, random* (where * denotes a wildcard). Forward and backward searches from identified papers were also conducted. Articles were included if (1) the primary intervention was delivered and accessed via the Internet, (2) the intervention focused on moderating or stopping alcohol consumption, and (3) the study was a randomized controlled trial of an alcohol-related screen, assessment, or intervention. Results: The literature search initially yielded 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 17 of which met inclusion criteria. Of these 17 studies, 12 (70.6%) were conducted with university students, and 11 (64.7%) specifically focused on at-risk, heavy, or binge drinkers. Sample sizes ranged from 40 to 3216 (median 261), with 12 (70.6%) studies predominantly involving brief personalized feedback interventions. Using published data, effect sizes could be extracted from 8 of the 17 studies. In relation to alcohol units per week or month and based on 5 RCTs where a measure of alcohol units per week or month could be extracted, differential effect sizes to posttreatment ranged from 0.02 to 0.81 (mean 0.42, median 0.54). Pre-post effect sizes for brief personalized feedback interventions ranged from 0.02 to 0.81, and in 2 multi-session modularized interventions, a pre-post effect size of 0.56 was obtained in both. Pre-post differential effect sizes for peak blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) ranged from 0.22 to 0.88, with a mean effect size of 0.66. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that users can benefit from online alcohol interventions and that this approach could be particularly useful for groups less likely to access traditional alcohol-related services, such as women, young people, and at-risk users. However, caution should be exercised given the limited number of studies allowing extraction of effect sizes, the heterogeneity of outcome measures and follow-up periods, and the large proportion of student-based studies. More extensive RCTs in community samples are required to better understand the efficacy of specific online alcohol approaches, program dosage, the additive effect of telephone or face-to-face interventions, and effective strategies for their dissemination and marketing.
- Description: Background: There has been a significant increase in the availability of online programs for alcohol problems. A systematic review of the research evidence underpinning these programs is timely. Objectives: Our objective was to review the efficacy of online interventions for alcohol misuse. Systematic searches of Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus were conducted for English abstracts (excluding dissertations) published from 1998 onward. Search terms were: (1) Internet, Web*; (2) online, computer *; (3) alcohol*; and (4) E\effect *, trial*, random* (where * denotes a wildcard). Forward and backward searches from identified papers were also conducted. Articles were included if (1) the primary intervention was delivered and accessed via the Internet, (2) the intervention focused on moderating or stopping alcohol consumption, and (3) the study was a randomized controlled trial of an alcohol-related screen, assessment, or intervention. Results: The literature search initially yielded 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 17 of which met inclusion criteria. Of these 17 studies, 12 (70.6%) were conducted with university students, and 11 (64.7%) specifically focused on at-risk, heavy, or binge drinkers. Sample sizes ranged from 40 to 3216 (median 261), with 12 (70.6%) studies predominantly involving brief personalized feedback interventions. Using published data, effect sizes could be extracted from 8 of the 17 studies. In relation to alcohol units per week or month and based on 5 RCTs where a measure of alcohol units per week or month could be extracted, differential effect sizes to posttreatment ranged from 0.02 to 0.81 (mean 0.42, median 0.54). Pre-post effect sizes for brief personalized feedback interventions ranged from 0.02 to 0.81, and in 2 multi-session modularized interventions, a pre-post effect size of 0.56 was obtained in both. Pre-post differential effect sizes for peak blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) ranged from 0.22 to 0.88, with a mean effect size of 0.66. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that users can benefit from online alcohol interventions and that this approach could be particularly useful for groups less likely to access traditional alcohol-related services, such as women, young people, and at-risk users. However, caution should be exercised given the limited number of studies allowing extraction of effect sizes, the heterogeneity of outcome measures and follow-up periods, and the large proportion of student-based studies. More extensive RCTs in community samples are required to better understand the efficacy of specific online alcohol approaches, program dosage, the additive effect of telephone or face-to-face interventions, and effective strategies for their dissemination and marketing.
- Authors: White, Angela , Kavanagh, David , Stallman, Helen , Klein, Britt , Kay-Lambkin, Frances , Proudfoot, Judith , Drennan, Judy , Connor, Jason , Baker, Amanda , Hines, Emily , Young, Ross
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Journal of Medical Internet Research Vol. 12, no. 5 (2010), p. e62p.1-e62p.12
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: There has been a significant increase in the availability of online programs for alcohol problems. A systematic review of the research evidence underpinning these programs is timely. Objectives: Our objective was to review the efficacy of online interventions for alcohol misuse. Systematic searches of Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus were conducted for English abstracts (excluding dissertations) published from 1998 onward. Search terms were: (1) Internet, Web*; (2) online, computer *; (3) alcohol*; and (4) Eeffect *, trial*, random* (where * denotes a wildcard). Forward and backward searches from identified papers were also conducted. Articles were included if (1) the primary intervention was delivered and accessed via the Internet, (2) the intervention focused on moderating or stopping alcohol consumption, and (3) the study was a randomized controlled trial of an alcohol-related screen, assessment, or intervention. Results: The literature search initially yielded 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 17 of which met inclusion criteria. Of these 17 studies, 12 (70.6%) were conducted with university students, and 11 (64.7%) specifically focused on at-risk, heavy, or binge drinkers. Sample sizes ranged from 40 to 3216 (median 261), with 12 (70.6%) studies predominantly involving brief personalized feedback interventions. Using published data, effect sizes could be extracted from 8 of the 17 studies. In relation to alcohol units per week or month and based on 5 RCTs where a measure of alcohol units per week or month could be extracted, differential effect sizes to posttreatment ranged from 0.02 to 0.81 (mean 0.42, median 0.54). Pre-post effect sizes for brief personalized feedback interventions ranged from 0.02 to 0.81, and in 2 multi-session modularized interventions, a pre-post effect size of 0.56 was obtained in both. Pre-post differential effect sizes for peak blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) ranged from 0.22 to 0.88, with a mean effect size of 0.66. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that users can benefit from online alcohol interventions and that this approach could be particularly useful for groups less likely to access traditional alcohol-related services, such as women, young people, and at-risk users. However, caution should be exercised given the limited number of studies allowing extraction of effect sizes, the heterogeneity of outcome measures and follow-up periods, and the large proportion of student-based studies. More extensive RCTs in community samples are required to better understand the efficacy of specific online alcohol approaches, program dosage, the additive effect of telephone or face-to-face interventions, and effective strategies for their dissemination and marketing.
- Description: Background: There has been a significant increase in the availability of online programs for alcohol problems. A systematic review of the research evidence underpinning these programs is timely. Objectives: Our objective was to review the efficacy of online interventions for alcohol misuse. Systematic searches of Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus were conducted for English abstracts (excluding dissertations) published from 1998 onward. Search terms were: (1) Internet, Web*; (2) online, computer *; (3) alcohol*; and (4) E\effect *, trial*, random* (where * denotes a wildcard). Forward and backward searches from identified papers were also conducted. Articles were included if (1) the primary intervention was delivered and accessed via the Internet, (2) the intervention focused on moderating or stopping alcohol consumption, and (3) the study was a randomized controlled trial of an alcohol-related screen, assessment, or intervention. Results: The literature search initially yielded 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 17 of which met inclusion criteria. Of these 17 studies, 12 (70.6%) were conducted with university students, and 11 (64.7%) specifically focused on at-risk, heavy, or binge drinkers. Sample sizes ranged from 40 to 3216 (median 261), with 12 (70.6%) studies predominantly involving brief personalized feedback interventions. Using published data, effect sizes could be extracted from 8 of the 17 studies. In relation to alcohol units per week or month and based on 5 RCTs where a measure of alcohol units per week or month could be extracted, differential effect sizes to posttreatment ranged from 0.02 to 0.81 (mean 0.42, median 0.54). Pre-post effect sizes for brief personalized feedback interventions ranged from 0.02 to 0.81, and in 2 multi-session modularized interventions, a pre-post effect size of 0.56 was obtained in both. Pre-post differential effect sizes for peak blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) ranged from 0.22 to 0.88, with a mean effect size of 0.66. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that users can benefit from online alcohol interventions and that this approach could be particularly useful for groups less likely to access traditional alcohol-related services, such as women, young people, and at-risk users. However, caution should be exercised given the limited number of studies allowing extraction of effect sizes, the heterogeneity of outcome measures and follow-up periods, and the large proportion of student-based studies. More extensive RCTs in community samples are required to better understand the efficacy of specific online alcohol approaches, program dosage, the additive effect of telephone or face-to-face interventions, and effective strategies for their dissemination and marketing.
- Abbott, Jo-Anne, Kaldo, Viktor, Klein, Britt, Austin, David, Hamilton, Catherine, Piterman, Leon, Williams, Ben, Andersson, Gerhard
- Authors: Abbott, Jo-Anne , Kaldo, Viktor , Klein, Britt , Austin, David , Hamilton, Catherine , Piterman, Leon , Williams, Ben , Andersson, Gerhard
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Vol. 38, no. 3 (2009), p. 162-173
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The effectiveness of a therapist-supported Internet intervention program for tinnitus distress in an industrial setting was evaluated using a cluster randomised design. Fifty-six Australian employees of two industrial organisations were randomly assigned, based on their work site (18 work sites from BP Australia and five from BHP Billiton), to either a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) program or an information-only control program. Participants were assessed at pre- and postprogram, measuring tinnitus distress, depression, anxiety, stress, quality of life, and occupational health. The CBT program was not found to be superior to the information program for treating tinnitus distress. A high attrition rate and small sample size limit the generalisability of the findings, and further developments of the program and assessment process are needed to enhance engagement and compliance. © 2009 Taylor & Francis.
- Hadjistavropoulos, Heather, Thompson, Maureen, Klein, Britt, Austin, David
- Authors: Hadjistavropoulos, Heather , Thompson, Maureen , Klein, Britt , Austin, David
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Vol. 41, no. 3 (2012), p. 230-240
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: There is considerable research suggesting that therapist-assisted Internet cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) is efficacious in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Given this research, there is a growing interest in training students in therapist-assisted ICBT in order to assist with the dissemination of this emerging modality into routine clinical practice. In this study, we developed, delivered, and evaluated a therapist-assisted ICBT workshop for clinical psychology graduate students (n = 20). The workshop provided both research evidence and practical information related to the delivery of therapist-assisted ICBT. The workshop also incorporated an experiential component with students working on and discussing responses to client e-mails. Before and after the workshop, we measured knowledge of therapist-assisted ICBT research and professional practice issues, as well as attitudes towards and confidence in delivering therapist-assisted ICBT. Statistically significant changes were observed in all areas. Eighty-five per cent of students are now offering therapist-assisted ICBT under supervision. We conclude by discussing future research directions related to disseminating therapist-assisted ICBT. © 2012 Copyright Swedish Association for Behaviour Therapy.
Anxiety online-A virtual clinic: Preliminary outcomes following completion of five fully automated treatment programs for anxiety disorders and symptoms
- Klein, Britt, Meyer, Denny, Austin, David, Kyrios, Michael
- Authors: Klein, Britt , Meyer, Denny , Austin, David , Kyrios, Michael
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Medical Internet Research Vol. 13, no. 4 (2011), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: The development of e-mental health interventions to treat or prevent mental illness and to enhance wellbeing has risen rapidly over the past decade. This development assists the public in sidestepping some of the obstacles that are often encountered when trying to access traditional face-to-face mental health care services. Objective: The objective of our study was to investigate the posttreatment effectiveness of five fully automated self-help cognitive behavior e-therapy programs for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PD/A), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD) offered to the international public via Anxiety Online, an open-access full-service virtual psychology clinic for anxiety disorders. Methods: We used a naturalistic participant choice, quasi-experimental design to evaluate each of the five Anxiety Online fully automated self-help e-therapy programs. Participants were required to have at least subclinical levels of one of the anxiety disorders to be offered the associated disorder-specific fully automated self-help e-therapy program. These programs are offered free of charge via Anxiety Online. Results: A total of 225 people self-selected one of the five e-therapy programs (GAD, n = 88; SAD, n = 50; PD/A, n = 40; PTSD, n = 30; OCD, n = 17) and completed their 12-week posttreatment assessment. Significant improvements were found on 21/25 measures across the five fully automated self-help programs. At postassessment we observed significant reductions on all five anxiety disorder clinical disorder severity ratings (Cohen d range 0.72-1.22), increased confidence in managing one's own mental health care (Cohen d range 0.70-1.17), and decreases in the total number of clinical diagnoses (except for the PD/A program, where a positive trend was found) (Cohen d range 0.45-1.08). In addition, we found significant improvements in quality of life for the GAD, OCD, PTSD, and SAD e-therapy programs (Cohen d range 0.11-0.96) and significant reductions relating to general psychological distress levels for the GAD, PD/A, and PTSD e-therapy programs (Cohen d range 0.23-1.16). Overall, treatment satisfaction was good across all five e-therapy programs, and posttreatment assessment completers reported using their e-therapy program an average of 395.60 (SD 272.2) minutes over the 12-week treatment period. Conclusions: Overall, all five fully automated self-help e-therapy programs appear to be delivering promising high-quality outcomes; however, the results require replication. © Britt Klein, Denny Meyer, David William Austin, Michael Kyrios.
- Authors: Klein, Britt , Meyer, Denny , Austin, David , Kyrios, Michael
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Medical Internet Research Vol. 13, no. 4 (2011), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: The development of e-mental health interventions to treat or prevent mental illness and to enhance wellbeing has risen rapidly over the past decade. This development assists the public in sidestepping some of the obstacles that are often encountered when trying to access traditional face-to-face mental health care services. Objective: The objective of our study was to investigate the posttreatment effectiveness of five fully automated self-help cognitive behavior e-therapy programs for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PD/A), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD) offered to the international public via Anxiety Online, an open-access full-service virtual psychology clinic for anxiety disorders. Methods: We used a naturalistic participant choice, quasi-experimental design to evaluate each of the five Anxiety Online fully automated self-help e-therapy programs. Participants were required to have at least subclinical levels of one of the anxiety disorders to be offered the associated disorder-specific fully automated self-help e-therapy program. These programs are offered free of charge via Anxiety Online. Results: A total of 225 people self-selected one of the five e-therapy programs (GAD, n = 88; SAD, n = 50; PD/A, n = 40; PTSD, n = 30; OCD, n = 17) and completed their 12-week posttreatment assessment. Significant improvements were found on 21/25 measures across the five fully automated self-help programs. At postassessment we observed significant reductions on all five anxiety disorder clinical disorder severity ratings (Cohen d range 0.72-1.22), increased confidence in managing one's own mental health care (Cohen d range 0.70-1.17), and decreases in the total number of clinical diagnoses (except for the PD/A program, where a positive trend was found) (Cohen d range 0.45-1.08). In addition, we found significant improvements in quality of life for the GAD, OCD, PTSD, and SAD e-therapy programs (Cohen d range 0.11-0.96) and significant reductions relating to general psychological distress levels for the GAD, PD/A, and PTSD e-therapy programs (Cohen d range 0.23-1.16). Overall, treatment satisfaction was good across all five e-therapy programs, and posttreatment assessment completers reported using their e-therapy program an average of 395.60 (SD 272.2) minutes over the 12-week treatment period. Conclusions: Overall, all five fully automated self-help e-therapy programs appear to be delivering promising high-quality outcomes; however, the results require replication. © Britt Klein, Denny Meyer, David William Austin, Michael Kyrios.
- Andrews, Brooke, Klein, Britt, Corboy, Denise, McLaren, Suzanne, Watson, Shaun
- Authors: Andrews, Brooke , Klein, Britt , Corboy, Denise , McLaren, Suzanne , Watson, Shaun
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Professional psychology, research and practice Vol. 54, no. 6 (2023), p. 418-429
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The purpose of this article is to qualitatively explore participant and therapist experiences of the therapeutic alliance, perceived benefits, challenges, and areas for improvement when using video chat as a mode of therapist assistance within an adaptive digital mental health intervention. In total, 74 semistructured interviews were completed with participants and therapists who participated in an adaptive clinical trial. The participant interviews explored experiences of attending a clinical assessment via video chat and experiences of receiving low- or high-intensity therapist assistance via video chat. Interviews completed with therapists explored their experience of administrating a clinical assessment tool and delivering therapist assistance, both via video chat. Reflexive thematic analysis identified four themes: using video chat, characteristics of therapeutic relationships, task-specific experiences, and utility and adoption of video chat. Both participants and therapists were able to adapt to the modality of video chat and develop positive therapeutic alliances. They reported satisfaction with video chat for conducting clinical assessments and delivering therapist assistance. Concerns were identified by both participants and therapists with low-intensity therapist assistance. This study identified elements of task-specific experiences and human characteristics as more influential in participant and therapist experience than the modality of video chat technology. Implications for assessing suitability for the modality of video chat and low- and high-intensity models of therapist assistance are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)
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