A vast amount of studies show that online interventions are suitable to reduce symptoms of mental illness as for instance depression or anxiety. However, participants who use online interventions are more likely to drop out of treatment compared to face-to-face interventions. It is important to enhance adherence to online interventions so that participants engage longer in the programs. Also, as online interventions are useful to reduce the burden of mental illness, it is of interest to further improve outcomes of such interventions. Therefore, it will be investigated in this study whether or not four different factors have an impact in fostering adherence to and improving outcome of an internet-based self-help intervention based on problem-solving therapy. A multifactorial design will be used for this study to screen simultaneously whether or not i) a diagnostic telephone interview and, ii) an educational module based on motivational interviewing prior to the intervention and iii) guidance by the study team, and iv) automated e-mail reminders during the study are active factors in enhancing adherence to and outcome of online interventions.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
316
The Online Self-Help Intervention is an online program based on the problem-solving therapy (an evidence based approach of psychotherapy). All participants will receive the exact same intervention. However, what will be experimentally varied are the four listed interventions.
University of Bern
Bern, Switzerland
Change in Depressive Symptoms
Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer \& Williams, 2001)
Time frame: Baseline
Change in Depressive Symptoms
Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer \& Williams, 2001)
Time frame: 2 weeks
Change in Depressive Symptoms
Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer \& Williams, 2001)
Time frame: 4 weeks
Change in Depressive Symptoms
Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer \& Williams, 2001)
Time frame: 10 weeks
Change in Depressive Symptoms
Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer \& Williams, 2001)
Time frame: 16 weeks
Adherence to Intervention (1)
Assessed with the online Program. Indicator of adherence: time spent in program
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 16 weeks
Adherence to Intervention (2)
Assessed with the online Program. Indicator of adherence: clicks
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 16 weeks
Adherence to Intervention (3)
Assessed with the online Program. Indicator of adherence: number of exercises completed
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 16 weeks
Anxiety Symptoms
Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Anxiety (GAD-7; Löwe et al., 2002)
Time frame: Baseline, 10 weeks, 16 weeks
Stress Symptoms
Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Stress (PHQ-Stress; Löwe et al., 2002)
Time frame: Baseline, 10 weeks, 16 weeks
Health
Assessed with Short Form Health Survey (SF-12; Gandek et al., 1998)
Time frame: Baseline, 10 weeks, 16 weeks
Suicidal Tendency
Assessed with Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire - Revised (SBQ-R; Glaesmer et al., 2017)
Time frame: Baseline, 10 weeks, 16 weeks
Social Problem Solving
Assessed with Social Problem Solving Inventory Revised (SPSI-R; D'Zurilla et al., 1999)
Time frame: Baseline, 10 weeks, 16 weeks
Satisfaction with treatment
Assessed with the german version of Client Satisfaction Questionnaire CSQ-8 (Attkisson \& Zwick, 1982)
Time frame: 10 weeks
Negative Effects of Psychotherapy
Assessed with "Inventory for the Assessment of Negative Effects of Psychotherapy (INEP; Ladwig, Rief, \& Nestoriuc, 2014)
Time frame: 10 weeks, 16 weeks
Usability of Intervention
Assessed with System Usability Scale (SAS; Brooke, 1996)
Time frame: 10 weeks
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