Interest and use of technology by individuals with SMI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Interest and use of technology for self-management purposes by individuals experiencing serious mental health problems: Service user and clinician perspectives.
IRAS ID
199121
Contact name
Natalie Berry
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 18 days
Research summary
Both psychological and pharmacological interventions are recommended for individuals who experience psychosis and bipolar disorder (serious mental health problems, SMI; NICE, 2014a; 2014b). However, access to psychological therapies is often poor and sometimes people are unwilling to seek face-to-face therapy due to factors such as perceived stigma, lack of time and/or motivation, and doubts over efficacy. Therefore, researchers have increasingly been developing and delivering psychological interventions online and via mobile phones for people experiencing SMI. Examples of online and mobile phone-delivered interventions include, but are not limited to, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), psychoeducation, and mindfulness based approaches. However, little is known about how individuals with SMI currently use technology to manage their mental health and what elements they would like to see incorporated into interventions delivered via technology. In addition, clinician views regarding the utility of technology-delivered interventions have largely been ignored in research in this field.
It is important to investigate the experiences, views and attitudes towards technology use in people with SMI, as it will be these people directly engaging with interventions delivered in this format. As such, qualitative interviews with individuals experiencing SMI will be administered to determine:
i) how people with SMI currently use technology for self-management practices;
(ii) individuals views and attitudes towards technology delivered interventions;
(iii) perceived facilitators and barriers to use;
(iv) experiences of using the internet and mobile phones for self-management.Furthermore, clinician views about technology use in SMI and technology-delivered interventions for this population need to be explored. As such, clinicians working in primary and secondary care settings will be recruited for interviews or focus groups to explore:
i) clinician experiences of service users utilising technology for their mental health;
ii) clinician attitudes towards interventions delivered online and via mobile phones for people with SMI;
iii) how clinicians feel technology could help and/or hinder clinical practice.REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EE/0059
Date of REC Opinion
19 Feb 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion