Abstract
Abstract Specific psychological treatments for depressive disorders delivered on the Internet have shown effectiveness and presented advantages over face-to-face treatments (potentially less expensive, flexible schedules, available in remote areas). This paper aims to describe the characteristics of those who sought help from an online self-guided intervention for depression and to explore hypotheses about predictors of enrollment to the program. Based on a sample of 282 of individuals who filled in screening questionnaires, we verified that the respondents were mainly female, were on average 34.36 years old, were primarily recruited through Facebook, had been previously diagnosed by mental health professionals, presented moderate self-efficacy perception, and had moderately severe symptoms of depression. Respondents who reported comorbid conditions were more likely to attend enrollment interviews, and being in treatment or not did not influence attendance. Such characterization may provide strategies to reach more people and to optimize the design of interventions targeting help-seeking depressed individuals in Brazil.
Highlights
Specific psychological treatments for depressive disorders delivered on the Internet have shown effectiveness and presented advantages over face-to-face treatments
Psychological treatments for several behavioral problems are supported by evidence, there are substantial gaps in delivering face-to-face treatments, and a large proportion of people with mental health problems do not receive treatment at all (Kazdin, 2017)
This study aims to describe the characteristics of those individuals who seek help from an online selfguided intervention for depression in Brazil and to explore potential predictors of intervention enrollment
Summary
Specific psychological treatments for depressive disorders delivered on the Internet have shown effectiveness and presented advantages over face-to-face treatments (potentially less expensive, flexible schedules, available in remote areas). This paper aims to describe the characteristics of those who sought help from an online self-guided intervention for depression and to explore hypotheses about predictors of enrollment to the program. I Campinas I 38 I e190166 reported comorbid conditions were more likely to attend enrollment interviews, and being in treatment or not did not influence attendance Such characterization may provide strategies to reach more people and to optimize the design of interventions targeting help-seeking depressed individuals in Brazil. The advantages of online and self-guided interventions over face-to-face treatments are potentially lower financial costs, greater geographical reach, treatment privacy, flexibility (treatments can be achieved anytime and anywhere, as long as Internet access is available), availability of repetition and practice, and a closer relation between treatment and clients’ everyday context
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