This experiment tested whether reading a treatment rationale using evidenced-based persuasion techniques increases the acceptability of therapist-assisted Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapies (iCBT) among Black individuals and explored whether self-reported barriers to treatment moderated this relation. The study also examined whether endorsement of iCBT by a health professional or spiritual leader is positively associated with attitudes toward iCBT. Participants (N = 268; n = 139, University; n = 129, Community) were randomly assigned to read a treatment rationale for iCBT that used evidence-based persuasion techniques or a definition of iCBT that did not. Participants completed standardized self-report measures of treatment barriers and acceptability toward iCBT and rated their likelihood of using iCBT if endorsed by a health professional or spiritual leader. Participants reporting fewer barriers to treatment had more positive attitudes toward iCBT after reading a treatment rationale than those who read a definition. Participants reported a greater likelihood of using iCBT when endorsed by a health professional than by a spiritual leader or no authority figure. Participants recruited from the university reported more barriers to treatment than those recruited from the surrounding community. Future research is needed to replicate and better understand the use of persuasion techniques, authority figures, and differences in barriers to treatment between different communities in order to improve the acceptability of iCBT among Black Americans.
CITATION STYLE
Ellis, D. M., & Anderson, P. L. (2021). Improving the Acceptability of Internet-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Among Black Americans. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000044
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