The Working Alliance Inventory for guided Internet interventions (WAI-I)

J Clin Psychol. 2020 Jun;76(6):973-986. doi: 10.1002/jclp.22823. Epub 2019 Jun 25.

Abstract

Objective: This study analyses the psychometric properties of the Working Alliance Inventory adapted for guided Internet interventions (WAI-I).

Methods: We drew on the data set from a multicenter trial that examined a guided Internet intervention (deprexis) for patients with mild to moderate depression. Two hundred twenty-three patients completed the WAI-I and the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (ZUF-8) at posttreatment, and the Attitudes toward Psychological Online-Interventions Questionnaire (APOI) at baseline. We ran confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) testing two- and three-factor solutions and calculated Cronbach's α, item-total correlations, and correlations of the WAI-I with APOI and ZUF-8.

Results: The results suggested a two-factor solution, with a very good model fit and evidence of factor independency, adequate internal consistency, and external validity for the complete scale and the sub-scales.

Conclusions: The WAI-I showed as a reliable and valid instrument to capture alliance in guided Internet interventions, which might facilitate process-outcome research and treatment development efforts.

Keywords: Internet-based interventions; Working Alliance Inventory; online interventions; therapeutic alliance; working alliance.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Depression / therapy
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Germany
  • Humans
  • Internet
  • Internet-Based Intervention*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Satisfaction
  • Psychometrics / statistics & numerical data
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Young Adult