Conducting Psychological Intervention Research in the Information Age: Reconsidering the "State of the Field"

J Technol Behav Sci. 2019 Sep;4(3):210-218. doi: 10.1007/s41347-018-0072-4. Epub 2018 Sep 25.

Abstract

Enthusiasm for technology in mental health has evolved as a function of its promise to increase the reach and impact of services, particularly for traditionally at-risk and underserved groups. Preliminary findings suggest that technology-enhanced interventions indeed hold promise for increasing engagement in and outcomes of evidence-based treatment approaches. The time- and resourceintensive nature of traditional randomized control trials, however, may be even more of a challenge for further advancement in this area, given the rapid innovation of consumer driven new product development. Accordingly, this review aims to summarize how a broader range of scientific designs and analyses may be necessary in order to further advance and optimize the reach and impact of technology-enhanced psychological practice. Examples of various approaches are provided and recommendations are provided for future work in this area.