Browsing by Author "McCall, Hugh"

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Open Access
Does Persuasive Design Predict Efficacy In Unguided iCBT? A Meta-Regression Analysis
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2020-08) McCall, Hugh; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather; Asmundson, Gordon; Sharpe, Donald; Olthuis, Janine
Mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety are leading contributors to the global disease burden. However, a large proportion of people with mental health disorders remain untreated, often due to a lack of nearby services, logistic barriers (e.g., work schedules), stigma, the cost of treatment, and other barriers. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) without therapist guidance represents a promising solution to this problem, as it is cost-effective, convenient for users, and possible to implement on a large scale. Various persuasive design elements—features or design principles intended to make interventions more engaging—have been proposed and implemented to improve adherence and outcomes among users of unguided iCBT. However, no review to date has determined the extent to which persuasive design elements predict the efficacy of unguided iCBT interventions. The present study consisted of a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of unguided iCBT interventions for depression and anxiety. A search of five databases and a hand search yielded a total of 41 articles describing 45 comparisons (N = 10,301) of iCBT conditions and control conditions. The meta-analyses revealed a small to moderate weighted mean effect size (Hedges’ g = 0.29) for unguided iCBT for depression and a moderate effect size (Hedges’ g = 0.48) for unguided iCBT for anxiety. Meta-regression analyses indicated that greater use of persuasive design predicted greater efficacy in unguided iCBT for depression but not anxiety. However, this research was exploratory in nature, and further research will be required to clarify the role of persuasive design in unguided iCBT and its relationship to treatment outcomes.
Open Access
How have public safety personnel seeking digital mental healthcare been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? An exploratory mixed methods study
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2020-12-13) McCall, Hugh; Beahm, Janine; Landry, Caeleigh; Huang, Ziyin; Carleton, R. Nicholas; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather
Public safety personnel (PSP) experience unique occupational stressors and suffer from high rates of mental health problems. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted virtually all aspects of human life around the world and has introduced additional occupational stressors for PSP. The objective of this study was to explore how PSP, especially those seeking digital mental health services, have been affected by the pandemic. Our research unit, PSPNET, provides internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy to PSP in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. When the pandemic spread to Saskatchewan, PSPNET began inquiring about the impact of the pandemic on prospective clients during the eligibility screening process. We used content analysis to analyze data from telephone screening interviews (n = 56) and descriptive statistics to analyze data from a questionnaire concerning the impacts of COVID-19 (n = 41). The results showed that most PSP reported facing several novel emotional challenges (e.g., social isolation, boredom, anger, and fear) and logistical challenges (e.g., related to childcare, finances, work, and access to mental healthcare). Most participants indicated they felt at least somewhat afraid of contracting COVID-19 but felt more afraid of their families contracting the virus than themselves. However, few participants reported severe challenges of any kind, and many (40%) indicated that they had not been significantly negatively impacted by the pandemic. Overall, the results suggest that PSP are not expressing significant concern at this time in meeting the novel challenges posed by COVID-19. Continued research will be required to monitor how diverse PSP populations and treatment outcomes are affected by the pandemic as the situation evolves.
Open Access
Impact of an online discussion forum on self-guided internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for Canadian public safety personnel: A randomized trial
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2023-10) McCall, Hugh; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather; Sharpe, Donald; Carleton, R. Nicholas; Jones, Nicholas; Böttcher, Johanna
First responders and other public safety personnel (PSP) are at elevated risk of experiencing potentially psychologically traumatic events, mental disorders, and barriers to accessing mental healthcare. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) is an effective and accessible treatment for various common mental disorders. Therapistguided ICBT is more effective than self-guided ICBT, but self-guided ICBT is easier to implement on a large scale. Designing self-guided ICBT to be more engaging for users has been recommended to improve engagement and outcomes. One way to engage users is to provide them with access to an online discussion forum. Self-guided ICBT interventions that have included online discussion forums have demonstrated excellent treatment outcomes, comparable to those of guided ICBT, but there is a need for research experimentally testing the impact of adding online discussion forums. The current study objectives were to evaluate a transdiagnostic, self-guided ICBT program tailored for PSP, explore whether a therapist-moderated online discussion forum impacts outcomes, and analyze participant feedback to inform future efforts to implement forums in ICBT. The current study consisted of a randomized trial (n = 107) with two conditions, both of which involved an 8-week, transdiagnostic self-guided ICBT course tailored for Canadian PSP. In one condition, but not the other, the ICBT course included a therapistmoderated online discussion forum. We administered several self-report measures during eligibility screening and at 8 and 20 weeks post-enrollment. Primary outcomes included changes in symptoms of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Secondary outcomes included treatment satisfaction, treatment engagement, patient-program alliance, and changes in health service use, resilience, and subjective wellbeing. We compared treatment outcomes across the two conditions using multilevel modeling. We used qualitative analyses to further examine written comments related to treatment satisfaction and participants’ experiences with the online discussion forum. Across conditions, most participants accessed at least four of the five lessons of the ICBT course (n = 59, 55.1%) and completed post-treatment questionnaires at 8 weeks (n = 83, 77.5%) and 20 weeks post-enrollment (n = 73, 68.2%). Participants in both conditions who reported clinically significant symptoms at pre-treatment reported large and statistically significant reductions in symptoms (ps < .05, ds > 0.97). Participants also evidenced good treatment satisfaction and engagement. There was no evidence of group differences on any treatment outcomes, and most outcomes were comparable to those of therapist-guided ICBT tailored for PSP. However, 30.0% of prospective participants in the present study either failed to access the ICBT course or withdrew from the study, compared with only 5.7% for therapistguided ICBT. Participants created only nine posts in the online discussion forum. Qualitative analyses revealed that the forum had both strengths (e.g., it helped some participants feel less alone) and limitations (e.g., some participants disliked the relatively low level of activity). The current results support continued research on and implementation of self-guided ICBT for PSP and other groups. Results also suggest a need for further research to determine how online discussion forums should be structured and implemented in self-guided ICBT and to clarify their impact on outcomes.
Open Access
Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for symptoms of PTSD among public safety personnel: Initial outcomes of an open cohort preference trial of transdiagnostic and disorder-specific therapy
(Elsevier, 2023-09-09) McCall, Hugh; Dear, Blake, F.; Landry, Caeleigh; Beahm, Janine D.; Gregory, Julia; Titov, Nickolai; Carleton, R. Nicholas; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather D.
Public safety personnel (PSP) face high rates of mental health problems and many barriers to care. Initial outcomes of transdiagnostic internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) tailored for PSP are promising, but prior research has not evaluated outcomes of PTSD-specific ICBT among PSP or PSP's preferences for transdiagnostic or PTSD-specific ICBT. The current paper presents the initial outcomes (N = 150) of a mixed-methods observational study designed to (a) investigate preferences for transdiagnostic or PTSD-specific ICBT among PSP with elevated symptoms of PTSD and/or a primary concern with PTSD symptoms and (b) explore potential differences in client engagement, satisfaction, and symptom changes between the two forms of ICBT. PSP completed questionnaires before and after their preferred ICBT program. Mixed-methods analyses included generalized estimating equations, descriptive statistics, and inductive conventional qualitative content analysis. More clients (n = 85; 57 %) selected transdiagnostic ICBT than PTSD-specific ICBT (n = 65; 43 %), but the difference in the number of clients who selected each course was not statistically significant. Clients in both ICBT programs reported similar and favorable treatment satisfaction (e.g., 98 % would recommend the course to a friend), treatment engagement (i.e., 69 % accessed at least four of the five lessons), and pre-post improvement in symptoms (e.g., Hedges' g = 0.81 for reduction in PTSD symptom). Transdiagnostic ICBT resulted in greater reductions in symptoms of panic disorder than PTSD-specific ICBT. Qualitative analyses showed similarities across the ICBT programs in client feedback. The current study provides further evidence supporting the use and outcomes of ICBT for PSP in both transdiagnostic and disorder-specific formats. Implications for the literatures on PSP mental health and ICBT, as well as practical recommendations, are discussed.