Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Tailored to Spouses and Significant Others of Public Safety Personnel: Formative Evaluation Study

Heather D Hadjistavropoulos; Sarah J Reiser; Janine D Beahm; Hugh C McCall; Isabelle Dena; Abby R Phillips; Melissa Scheltgen; Shimona Sekhar; Marilyn Cox; Heidi Cramm; Nathalie Reid

doi:10.2196/51088

Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Tailored to Spouses and Significant Others of Public Safety Personnel: Formative Evaluation Study

JMIR Form Res. 2023 Sep 27:7:e51088. doi: 10.2196/51088.

Authors

Heather D Hadjistavropoulos^#^{1

2}, Sarah J Reiser^#², Janine D Beahm^#^{1

2}, Hugh C McCall^{1

2}, Isabelle Dena², Abby R Phillips², Melissa Scheltgen², Shimona Sekhar², Marilyn Cox³, Heidi Cramm⁴, Nathalie Reid⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada.
² PSPNET, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada.
³ Department of Family Studies & Gerontology, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
⁴ School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
⁵ Child Trauma Research Centre, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 37756033
PMCID: PMC10568396
DOI: 10.2196/51088

Abstract

Background: Spouses and significant others (SSOs) of public safety personnel (PSP) are affected by the risks and requirements of these occupations. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) provides a convenient and accessible treatment format that can be tailored to the needs of SSOs of PSP.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the initial use and client perceptions (eg, likes, helpfulness, and areas for improvement) of a self-guided, transdiagnostic ICBT course designed for Canadian SSOs of PSP and identify opportunities to further tailor ICBT for this group.

Methods: SSOs were invited to complete a 5-lesson, self-guided, transdiagnostic ICBT course. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of participants. Content analysis was used to analyze the data from open-ended survey responses and interviews to understand their experiences with ICBT.

Results: Clients (N=118) endorsed various mental health concerns (eg, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and relationship concerns) with a range of severity levels. Most clients identified as White (110/116, 94.8%) and women (108/116, 91.5%), with a mean age of 42.03 (SD 9.36) years. Of the 26 clients who were interviewed, 89% (23/26) reported believing that ICBT is helpful and 92% (24/26) reported finding at least 1 skill helpful. Clients provided suggestions for course improvements. On the basis of this feedback and quantitative data, changes were made to areas such as the delivery of materials, content, case stories, and timelines. Overall, the results indicated that many SSOs of PSP had positive perceptions of ICBT tailored to their needs and found several aspects of the course helpful, supporting the continued delivery of tailored ICBT to this population. However, there remains a need for continued promotion of the course and outreach to diverse groups of SSOs of PSP.

Conclusions: Findings from this formative evaluation provide insight into the unique experiences and needs of SSOs of PSP and provide preliminary evidence for the use of tailored ICBT to support the mental health of this group in Canada.

Keywords: ICBT; formative evaluation; internet interventions; internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy; public safety personnel; spouses and significant others; transdiagnostic.

©Heather D Hadjistavropoulos, Sarah J Reiser, Janine D Beahm, Hugh C McCall, Isabelle Dena, Abby R Phillips, Melissa Scheltgen, Shimona Sekhar, Marilyn Cox, Heidi Cramm, Nathalie Reid. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 27.09.2023.