Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2019 | Affective Disorder | Research article
Variability in clinician intentions to implement specific cognitive-behavioral therapy components
Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2019
Login to get accessAbstract
Background
CBT comprises many discrete components that vary in complexity, but implementation and training efforts often approach CBT as a single entity. We examined variability in clinician intentions to use different structural and interventional components of CBT for three different clinical groups: clients receiving CBT, clients with depression, and clients with anxiety.
Methods
Clinicians (n = 107) trained in CBT completed a one-time electronic survey. Clinicians’ intentions were measured using established item stems from social psychology adapted to examine intentions to use six specific CBT components: exposure therapy, cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, planning homework, reviewing homework, and agenda-setting.
Results
Intentions were weakest, on average, for exposure. They were strongest, on average, for reviewing homework. A series of ANOVAs with Tukey’s post-hoc tests revealed that participants intended to use exposure with clients receiving CBT (p = .015) and clients with anxiety (p < .001) significantly more than for clients with depression. Participants intended to use behavioral activation with clients with depression (p = .01) significantly more than for clients with anxiety. No other intentions to use CBT components differed among these three clinical populations.
Conclusions
When studying determinants of CBT use and designing interventions to increase use, implementers should consider that different CBT components may require different implementation strategies.
Trial registration
Not applicable.