Abstract
Introduction: While the general uptake of e-mental health interventions remained low over the past years, physical distancing and lockdown measures relating to the COVID-19 pandemic created a need and demand for online consultations in only a matter of weeks. Objective: This study investigates the uptake of online consultations provided by mental health professionals during lockdown measures in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the participating countries, with a specific focus on professionals' motivations and perceived barriers regarding online consultations. Methods: An online survey on the use of online consultations was set up in March 2020. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) guided the deductive qualitative analysis of the results. Results: In total, 2082 mental health professionals from Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden were included. The results showed a high uptake of online consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic but limited previous training on this topic undergone by mental health professionals. Most professionals reported positive experiences with online consultations, but concerns about the performance of online consultations in a mental health context (e.g., in terms of relational aspects) and practical considerations (e.g., relating to privacy and security of software) appear to be major barriers that hinder implementation. Conclusions: This study provides an overview of the mental health professionals' actual needs and concerns regarding the use of online consultations in order to highlight areas of possible intervention and allow the implementation of necessary governmental, educational, and instrumental support so that online consultations can become a feasible and stable option in mental healthcare.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 100405 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Internet Interventions |
| Volume | 25 |
| Early online date | 26 May 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The development of the survey was supported by the Project Group on eHealth of the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations. Members of the project group include: Andreas Schwerdtfeger (Austria), Ang?lique Belmont (Belgium), Tom Van Daele (Belgium), Maria Karekla (Cyprus), Angelos P. Kassianos (Cyprus), Iben Sejer?e-Szatkowski (Denmark), Lise Haddouk (France), David Daniel Ebert (Germany), Christine Knaevelsrud (Germany), Angelo Compare (Italy), Glauco Trebbi (Luxembourg), Tine Nordgreen (Norway), Svein ?verland (Norway), Jo?o Salgado (Portugal), Jan Zaskalan (Slovakia), David Gosar (Slovenia), Per Carlbring (Sweden), Christopher Sch?tz (Switzerland), Asl? ?arko?lu (Turkey), Kotryna Danieleviciute (EFPSA). The authors furthermore want to acknowledge the following colleagues and organizations: for her aid with the coding of the German data, Annika Montag; for their aid in the translation and dissemination of the survey, Juanjo Mart? Noguera (CiberSalud), Vitalina Ustenko and Oleh Burlachuk (National Psychological Association Ukraine), Anna Leybina (Russian Psychological Society), David Gosar, Beti Kova?, and Sara Ser?en (Slovenian Psychologists' Association), the Associazione Italiana di Psicologia, the Bulgarian Psychological Society, the Ordine degli Psicologi della Lombardia and the Consiglio Nazionale dell'Ordine degli Psicologi.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Funding
The development of the survey was supported by the Project Group on eHealth of the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations. Members of the project group include: Andreas Schwerdtfeger (Austria), Ang?lique Belmont (Belgium), Tom Van Daele (Belgium), Maria Karekla (Cyprus), Angelos P. Kassianos (Cyprus), Iben Sejer?e-Szatkowski (Denmark), Lise Haddouk (France), David Daniel Ebert (Germany), Christine Knaevelsrud (Germany), Angelo Compare (Italy), Glauco Trebbi (Luxembourg), Tine Nordgreen (Norway), Svein ?verland (Norway), Jo?o Salgado (Portugal), Jan Zaskalan (Slovakia), David Gosar (Slovenia), Per Carlbring (Sweden), Christopher Sch?tz (Switzerland), Asl? ?arko?lu (Turkey), Kotryna Danieleviciute (EFPSA). The authors furthermore want to acknowledge the following colleagues and organizations: for her aid with the coding of the German data, Annika Montag; for their aid in the translation and dissemination of the survey, Juanjo Mart? Noguera (CiberSalud), Vitalina Ustenko and Oleh Burlachuk (National Psychological Association Ukraine), Anna Leybina (Russian Psychological Society), David Gosar, Beti Kova?, and Sara Ser?en (Slovenian Psychologists' Association), the Associazione Italiana di Psicologia, the Bulgarian Psychological Society, the Ordine degli Psicologi della Lombardia and the Consiglio Nazionale dell'Ordine degli Psicologi.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Angelo Compare | |
| Angelos P. Kassianos | |
| Angélique Belmont | |
| Associazione Italiana di Psicologia | |
| Bulgarian Psychological Society | |
| Consiglio Nazionale dell'Ordine degli Psicologi | |
| Glauco Trebbi (Luxembourg), Tine Nordgreen (Norway), Svein Øverland | |
| Iben Sejerøe-Szatkowski | |
| João Salgado | |
| Lise Haddouk | |
| Maria Karekla | |
| Ordine degli Psicologi della Lombardia | |
| Russian Psychological Society | |
| Sara Seršen | |
| Slovenian Psychologists' Association | |
| Vitalina Ustenko and Oleh Burlachuk |
Keywords
- COVID-19
- Digital interventions
- e-Mental health
- Implementation
- Online consultations
- Telepsychology
