Assessing patients' attitudes towards telepsychotherapy: The development of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology-patient version.

Abstract

This study presents the development of a self-report measure of patients' attitudes towards telepsychotherapy. The measure is based on a well-researched model of attitudes towards using technology, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework (Venkatesh et al., 2003). We examined the psychometric properties of the UTAUT adapted for psychotherapy patients (UTAUT-P) in a sample of 107 psychotherapy patients who received telepsychotherapy via video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 14-item UTAUT-P version, with four factors-(1) Therapy Quality Expectancy, (2) Convenience, (3) Ease of Use, and (4) Pressure from Others-and was further corroborated by the results of the confirmatory factor analysis. Our results indicated the four-factor model's adequate fit to the data and demonstrated adequate construct validity and reliability of the UTAUT-P factors. All factors, except for Ease of Use, were significantly and positively associated with intention to use telepsychotherapy technology in the future. This study complements the research on therapists' attitudes towards telepsychotherapy, based on the therapist version of the UTAUT. The developed 14-item UTAUT-P might be a helpful, brief self-report tool in clinical practice, which might give the patient a voice around the potential use of telepsychotherapy technology in their care. This initial application of the UTAUT-P patients during the COVID-19 pandemic offers a building block for future research on patients' attitudes towards telepsychotherapy, outside the context of a forced transition.