Abstract
BackgroundWeb-based interventions are increasingly being used for individuals with serious mental illness, including psychosis, and preliminary evidence suggests clinical benefits. To achieve such benefits, individuals must have some level of engagement with the intervention. Currently, little is known about what influences engagement with web-based interventions for individuals with psychotic disorders.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore users' perspectives on what influenced engagement with a web-based intervention for psychosis.MethodsA qualitative design was employed using semistructured telephone interviews. Participants were 17 adults with psychosis who had participated in a trial examining engagement with a self-guided, web-based intervention promoting personal recovery and self-management of mental health.ResultsWe identified 2 overarching themes: challenges to using the website and factors supporting persistence. Both of the main themes included several subthemes related to both user-related factors (eg, mental health, personal circumstances, approach to using the website) and users’ experience of the intervention (eg, having experienced similar content previously or finding the material confronting).ConclusionsIndividuals with psychosis experienced several challenges to ongoing engagement with a web-based intervention. Adjunctive emails present an important design feature to maintain interest and motivation to engage with the intervention. However, fluctuations in mental health and psychosocial difficulties are a significant challenge. Design and implementation considerations include flexible interventions with tailoring opportunities to accommodate changeable circumstances and individual preferences.
Highlights
Access to the internet and digital technologies is increasing among individuals with psychosis [1,2]
This study aimed to explore user experiences of engaging with a web-based program for psychosis and identify factors associated with engagement and disengagement
This qualitative study was embedded in a broader research project that examined predictors of engagement with a web-based intervention for individuals with psychosis—the Self-Management and Recovery Technology (SMART) website [16]
Summary
Background Access to the internet and digital technologies is increasing among individuals with psychosis [1,2]. Many individuals with psychosis are active and proficient users of technology and the internet [3,4,5] and demonstrate positive attitudes toward using digital technologies to support mental health and self-management [6,7]. 1 (page number not for citation purposes) meet this opportunity, several mobile apps and internet-based interventions have been developed to promote self-management of mental health in psychosis [8,9,10,11] Both internet- and mobile-based interventions (hereafter named web-based interventions) appear feasible, acceptable, and potentially effective in improving clinical outcomes for individuals with psychotic disorders [12,13,14,15]. Little is known about what influences engagement with web-based interventions for individuals with psychotic disorders
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