Choi Isabella, Andrews Gavin, Sharpe Louise, Hunt Caroline
School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Brennan MacCallum Building (A18), Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia,
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2015 Jan;50(1):89-97. doi: 10.1007/s00127-014-0956-3. Epub 2014 Sep 6.
Internet treatments may overcome barriers and improve access to mental health services for people who do not access professional help. It may be particularly beneficial for Chinese Australians, a group that tends to delay and underutilize face-to-face treatments. This study explored the appeal of Internet therapy to Chinese- and English-speaking Australians with depression who accessed Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) programs.
Data collected from previous randomised controlled trials of iCBT depression programs were used. Using a matched samples design, 55 Chinese- and 55 English-speaking iCBT participants with depression were matched on age, gender, and depression screener scores. They were compared on their symptom severity, previous help-seeking patterns, and reasons for seeking Internet treatment.
The Chinese-speaking participants had significantly milder depressive symptoms and were less likely to have previously sought professional help compared to the English-speaking participants (all ps < 0.05). Both groups endorsed similar number of reasons for seeking iCBT, and the most common reasons related to reduced structural barriers. However, the Chinese-speaking participants were more likely to seek iCBT due to lack of knowledge about face-to-face treatment (p = 0.005), while the English-speaking participants were more likely to report not benefiting from traditional help (p = 0.030).
The attraction of iCBT appears to be the reduction of structural barriers to treatment. iCBT may reduce treatment delay and increase access to Chinese Australians who have not sought professional help. English-speaking Australians are seeking iCBT as an additional means of getting help.
网络治疗可能会克服障碍，改善那些未寻求专业帮助的人群获得心理健康服务的机会。这对于澳大利亚华裔人群可能特别有益，他们往往会推迟并较少利用面对面治疗。本研究探讨了网络治疗对患有抑郁症的讲中文和讲英文的澳大利亚人（这些人使用了网络认知行为疗法（iCBT）项目）的吸引力。
使用了先前iCBT抑郁症项目随机对照试验收集的数据。采用匹配样本设计，55名患有抑郁症的讲中文的iCBT参与者和55名讲英文的iCBT参与者在年龄、性别和抑郁筛查分数上进行匹配。比较他们的症状严重程度、先前的求助模式以及寻求网络治疗的原因。
与讲英文的参与者相比，讲中文的参与者抑郁症状明显较轻，且之前寻求专业帮助的可能性较小（所有p值<0.05）。两组认可寻求iCBT的原因数量相似，最常见的原因与减少的结构性障碍有关。然而，讲中文的参与者因对面对面治疗缺乏了解而更有可能寻求iCBT（p = 0.005），而讲英文的参与者更有可能报告未从传统帮助中受益（p = 0.030）。
iCBT的吸引力似乎在于减少了治疗的结构性障碍。iCBT可能会减少治疗延迟，并增加未寻求专业帮助的澳大利亚华裔人群获得治疗的机会。讲英文的澳大利亚人将iCBT作为获得帮助的额外途径。
