Abstract
BackgroundThere are an increasing number of interventions being delivered online, and an expanding body of research to assess the effectiveness of such interventions. Yet, little is known about the motivations for participating in online research. Furthermore, internet interventions and online research studies are characterised by poor adherence and high attrition rates. This study aimed to explore participant motivations for taking part in an online trial of an internet intervention and the reasons for continuing.MethodsSemi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with twenty members of the intervention arm of an internet-based randomised control trial evaluating an online cognitive behavioural tool to improve mental wellbeing. The qualitative interviews were analysed using the Framework Approach to identify themes and subthemes, through familiarization with the data, identifying a thematic framework, charting, indexing, mapping and interpreting the data.ResultsA number of key themes emerged. Trusted brands were key to participants feeling secure in engaging with the trial due to the association with institutions such as the UK National Health Service and the lead University conducting the research. Participants had a number of motivations for signing up with the study; altruism, low mood and as a replacement for a physical health professional. Participants felt the need for the language used in the intervention to be tailored to them as individuals. The majority of those interviewed also described multiple benefits from the intervention, which could have been a reason for them to persist.ConclusionThe nascent field of research on internet delivered healthcare needs to take account of participant views, as have been identified in this trial and future studies would benefit from applying its findings.
Highlights
There are an increasing number of interventions being delivered online, and an expanding body of research to assess the effectiveness of such interventions
In this paper we explore participant motivations and experiences of a large fully automated internetadministered randomised control trial [21] (PsyWell trial, ISRCTN48134476) of an online cognitive behavioural intervention
Interviewee 11, a 55–59 year old woman, illustrated this: Themes The themes which emerged were mixed between themes related to research, the intervention itself
Summary
There are an increasing number of interventions being delivered online, and an expanding body of research to assess the effectiveness of such interventions. Internet interventions and online research studies are characterised by poor adherence and high attrition rates. This study aimed to explore participant motivations for taking part in an online trial of an internet intervention and the reasons for continuing. There is a growing evidence base describing the factors that both cause people to enrol in and persist with trials [1,2,3], but few studies exploring the experience of participants in online interventions and trials [4]. The emerging evidence on the effectiveness of such applications has demonstrated the potential efficacy of internet based interventions to improve outcomes in a number of disorders [8,9,10,11]. One approach to understanding and potentially improving attrition rates is to study what factors motivate users to both enlist in trials and continue to their end
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