Hadjistavropoulos Heather D, Reiser Sarah J, Beahm Janine D, McCall Hugh C, Dena Isabelle, Phillips Abby R, Scheltgen Melissa, Sekhar Shimona, Cox Marilyn, Cramm Heidi, Reid Nathalie
Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada.
PSPNET, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada.
JMIR Form Res. 2023 Sep 27;7:e51088. doi: 10.2196/51088.
Spouses and significant others (SSOs) of public safety personnel (PSP) are affected by the risks and requirements of these occupations. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) provides a convenient and accessible treatment format that can be tailored to the needs of SSOs of PSP.
This study aimed to assess the initial use and client perceptions (eg, likes, helpfulness, and areas for improvement) of a self-guided, transdiagnostic ICBT course designed for Canadian SSOs of PSP and identify opportunities to further tailor ICBT for this group.
SSOs were invited to complete a 5-lesson, self-guided, transdiagnostic ICBT course. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of participants. Content analysis was used to analyze the data from open-ended survey responses and interviews to understand their experiences with ICBT.
Clients (N=118) endorsed various mental health concerns (eg, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and relationship concerns) with a range of severity levels. Most clients identified as White (110/116, 94.8%) and women (108/116, 91.5%), with a mean age of 42.03 (SD 9.36) years. Of the 26 clients who were interviewed, 89% (23/26) reported believing that ICBT is helpful and 92% (24/26) reported finding at least 1 skill helpful. Clients provided suggestions for course improvements. On the basis of this feedback and quantitative data, changes were made to areas such as the delivery of materials, content, case stories, and timelines. Overall, the results indicated that many SSOs of PSP had positive perceptions of ICBT tailored to their needs and found several aspects of the course helpful, supporting the continued delivery of tailored ICBT to this population. However, there remains a need for continued promotion of the course and outreach to diverse groups of SSOs of PSP.
Findings from this formative evaluation provide insight into the unique experiences and needs of SSOs of PSP and provide preliminary evidence for the use of tailored ICBT to support the mental health of this group in Canada.
公共安全人员（PSP）的配偶及其他重要他人（SSO）会受到这些职业的风险和要求的影响。互联网认知行为疗法（ICBT）提供了一种便捷且可及的治疗形式，可根据PSP的SSO的需求进行定制。
本研究旨在评估为加拿大PSP的SSO设计的自我引导式跨诊断ICBT课程的初次使用情况及客户看法（如喜好、帮助程度和改进方向），并确定进一步为该群体定制ICBT的机会。
邀请SSO完成一门5节的自我引导式跨诊断ICBT课程。使用描述性统计分析参与者的人口统计学和临床特征。采用内容分析法分析开放式调查回复和访谈数据，以了解他们接受ICBT的经历。
客户（N = 118）认可各种心理健康问题（如抑郁、焦虑、创伤后应激症状和关系问题），严重程度各异。大多数客户为白人（110/116，94.8%）和女性（108/116，91.5%），平均年龄为42.03（标准差9.36）岁。在接受访谈的26名客户中，89%（23/26）报告认为ICBT有帮助，92%（24/26）报告发现至少一项技能有帮助。客户提供了课程改进建议。基于这些反馈和定量数据，对材料交付、内容、案例故事和时间安排等方面进行了更改。总体而言，结果表明许多PSP的SSO对根据其需求量身定制的ICBT有积极看法，并发现课程的几个方面有帮助，支持继续为该人群提供定制的ICBT。然而，仍需要继续推广该课程，并向不同群体的PSP的SSO进行宣传。
本次形成性评估的结果深入了解了PSP的SSO的独特经历和需求，并为使用定制的ICBT来支持加拿大该群体的心理健康提供了初步证据。
