Psychological eHealth interventions for people with intellectual disabilities: A scoping review

Abstract

Background: The use of eHealth, which has accelerated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, could contribute to the access to tailor-made psychological interventions for people with intellectual disabilities. Method: A scoping review was conducted on peer-reviewed studies between 1996–2019. Results: Thirty-three studies reported on the use of psychological eHealth interventions focused on mental health problems and/or challenging behaviour. The vast majority of these studies reported on interventions that were delivered at the individual level. The context in which these interventions were delivered varied, primarily ranging from the home setting to residential settings, as well as day or activity centres and schools. The studies described various types of interventions: telehealth interventions, computerized cognitive behavioural therapy, and interventions focused on (social) learning principles targeting challenging behaviour. Conclusions: eHealth provides new opportunities for both therapists and lay-therapists to deliver psychological interventions. Future studies should focus on the effectiveness of psychological eHealth interventions.