Internet and Mobile-Based Interventions: Exploring the Realm Beyond Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Method Stream: Literature Review
ECs: Both 14 and 23 EC thesis possible
Description:
Internet and mobile-based interventions (IMI) have gained popularity over the past decades and have proven effective for a range of mental disorders and complaints. As in mainstream (face-to-face) psychological treatments, the field is dominated by cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Hence, when referring to the effectiveness of IMI’s, we are essentially referring to the effectiveness of iCBT.
A legitimate concern is that iCBT interventions may not be suited for every client. In recent decades, alternative brands of therapies have been developed that go beyond the aim of reducing symptoms. In general, these therapies have a broader focus than feelings, thoughts, and behaviour, as in traditional CBT, and include the domains of the self, attentional processes, and motivation. The goal of these therapies is usually to improve functioning, adaptation and general well-being, by changing how one relates to his or her problems, to stimulate autonomy and a sense of identity or meaning, or to shift the focus toward sources of well-being. They could be referred to as “Adaptation-Enhancing Therapies” (AET). This unofficial class of therapies includes so-called “third-wave” therapies, positive psychological interventions (PPI’s), psychodynamic therapies, and humanistic or client-centred approaches.
Yet, the development of IMI seems to have overshadowed the development of digital varieties of AET. Therefore, the great potential of digital interventions, such as its great flexibility, wide reach, and potential cost-effectiveness (once the intervention has been developed), has not been exploited to its full capacity. At present, there is no comprehensive overview of the range of online interventions in the non-CBT realm that may be viable alternatives to iCBT, particularly for those suffering from mental disorder.
Within this assignment, there is plenty of room to direct your questions toward your own specific area of interest. For example, you could focus on the direct comparison between iCBT and other available digital interventions in the empirical literature. Alternatively, you could pursue the availability of PPI’s and their characteristics.
Research questions that you can focus on in your thesis are (among others):
- To which extent was iCBT directly compared to other digital therapeutic approaches? Which approaches are common?
- Which other digital interventions are available in the realm of AET? (You could specify within this domain).
- What characteristics do these interventions have? Are (therapist-)guided variants more efficacious than unguided variants?
- Which PPI’s have been developed for digital purposes? Which therapeutic elements are most common in these interventions?
- What is the scope of these interventions (e.g., target groups), and to what extent are they accessible to the wider community and clients with mental disorder?
- What is their evidence status? (Were these interventions empirically tested in terms of effectiveness?) – [Please note that for this assignment, it is not required to do a full quantitative review (meta-analysis) in terms of overall effectiveness.]