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. 2023 Jun 22:14:1196907.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1196907. eCollection 2023.

Determinants of psychotherapists' attitudes to online psychotherapy

Emilia Rutkowska  1 , Joanna Furmańska  1 , Hakan Lane  2 , Cristiana C Marques  3 , Maria João Martins  3   4 , Najam Us Sahar  5 , Johannes Meixner  2 , Valeria Tullio  6 , Antonina Argo  7 , David Marcelo Bermeo Barros  8
Affiliations

Determinants of psychotherapists' attitudes to online psychotherapy

Emilia Rutkowska et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Introduction: Online psychotherapy is a form of work that is becoming more and more popular. Public health problems, such as COVID-19, forced mental health professionals and patients to incorporate new methodologies such as the use of electronic media and internet to provide follow-up, treatment and also supervision. The aim of this study was to investigate which factors shape the therapists' attitudes toward online psychotherapy during a pandemic taking into account: (1) attitudes toward the COVID-19 pandemic (fear of contagion, pandemic fatigue, etc.), (2) personal characteristics of the psychotherapists (age, gender, feeling of efficacy, anxiety, depression, etc.), and (3) characteristics of the psychotherapeutic practice (guideline procedure, client age group, professional experience, etc).

Materials and methods: Study participants were 177 psychotherapists from four European countries: Poland (n = 48), Germany (n = 44), Sweden (n = 49), and Portugal (n = 36). Data were collected by means of an individual online survey through the original questionnaire and the standardized scales: a modified version of the Attitudes toward Psychological Online Interventions Scale (APOI), Fear of Contagion by COVID-19 Scale (FCS COVID-19), Pandemic Fatigue Scale (PFS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Social Support Questionnaire (F-SozU K-14), and the Sense of Efficiency Test (SET).

Results: Determinants that impacted psychotherapists' attitudes toward online therapy were: COVID-19 belief in prevention-keeping distance and hand disinfection, pandemic behavioral fatigue, previous online therapy experience (including voice call), working with youth and adults. Our study showed that belief in the sense of prevention in the form of taking care of hand disinfection before the session, pandemic behavioral fatigue and experience in working with adults were significant predictors of negative attitudes of therapists toward online psychological interventions. On the other hand, belief in the sense of prevention in the form of keeping distance during the session had a positive effect on general attitudes toward therapy conducted via the internet.

Discussion: The online therapy boom during the COVID-19 pandemic has spawned a powerful tool for psychotherapists. More research in this area and training of psychotherapists are needed for online psychological interventions to become an effective therapy format that is accepted by patients and therapists alike.

Keywords: COVID-19; attitudes; international research; online psychotherapy; online therapy; psychotherapeutic practice; therapist factor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

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Figure 1
Predictors of therapists' attitudes toward online therapy.
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