Titre
Working alliance with an avatar: How far can we go with internet interventions?
Type
article
Institution
Externe
Périodique
Auteur(s)
Heim, Eva
Auteure/Auteur
Rötger, Alexander
Auteure/Auteur
Lorenz, Noah
Auteure/Auteur
Maercker, Andreas
Auteure/Auteur
Liens vers les personnes
ISSN
2214-7829
Statut éditorial
Publié
Date de publication
2018-03
Volume
11
Première page
41
Dernière page/numéro d’article
46
Langue
anglais
Résumé
Objective: To examine the working alliance between users and an avatar and users' treatment expectations in an unguided Internet intervention for the treatment of insomnia.
Methods: The sample included participants from the treatment condition (N = 29) of a randomised controlled trial. The task and goal subscales of the Working Alliance Inventory Short Revised (WAI-SR) were applied in week three. Five items of the Bern Post-Session Report and one question about the extent to which users had missed a human therapist were administered after each session. Treatment expectations were measured with the Credibility Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was used as the primary outcome measure.
Results: The mean scores for the WAI-SR task and goal subscales were relatively high (M = 3.24, SD = 0.79; M = 3.16, SD = 0.91, respectively). The mean score of the five Bern Post-Session Report items remained stable over time, but some users increasingly indicated that they missed a real therapist over the course of the intervention, with a strong linear effect (t(87) = 3.16, p < 0.01). ISI chance score was predicted by the mean score of the Bern Post-Session Report (b = -0.3.83, t(21.80) = -2.97, p < 0.01), missing a human therapist (b = -0.0.13, t(20.47) = -2.72, p = 0.01) and the CEQ (b = 0.18, t(19.03) = -2.69, p = 0.01), but not by WAI-SR task and goal subscales.
Conclusions: Results indicate that users established a working alliance with the avatar. The affective bond remained stable over time, but towards the end of the intervention some users indicated that they missed having a human therapist. Affective bond and missing a real therapist predicted symptom change.
Methods: The sample included participants from the treatment condition (N = 29) of a randomised controlled trial. The task and goal subscales of the Working Alliance Inventory Short Revised (WAI-SR) were applied in week three. Five items of the Bern Post-Session Report and one question about the extent to which users had missed a human therapist were administered after each session. Treatment expectations were measured with the Credibility Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was used as the primary outcome measure.
Results: The mean scores for the WAI-SR task and goal subscales were relatively high (M = 3.24, SD = 0.79; M = 3.16, SD = 0.91, respectively). The mean score of the five Bern Post-Session Report items remained stable over time, but some users increasingly indicated that they missed a real therapist over the course of the intervention, with a strong linear effect (t(87) = 3.16, p < 0.01). ISI chance score was predicted by the mean score of the Bern Post-Session Report (b = -0.3.83, t(21.80) = -2.97, p < 0.01), missing a human therapist (b = -0.0.13, t(20.47) = -2.72, p = 0.01) and the CEQ (b = 0.18, t(19.03) = -2.69, p = 0.01), but not by WAI-SR task and goal subscales.
Conclusions: Results indicate that users established a working alliance with the avatar. The affective bond remained stable over time, but towards the end of the intervention some users indicated that they missed having a human therapist. Affective bond and missing a real therapist predicted symptom change.
Sujets
PID Serval
serval:BIB_01341CEE1BBF
PMID
Open Access
Oui
Date de création
2021-09-14T04:34:52.909Z
Date de création dans IRIS
2025-05-20T19:27:37Z