Who seeks Internet-based interventions for depression in Brazil?

LOPES, RODRIGO TEIXEIRA; SVACINA, MARIA ADRIANA; GÓMEZ-PENEDO, JUAN MARTÍN; ROUSSOS, ANDRÉS; MEYER, BJÖRN; BERGER, THOMAS

ESTUDOS DE PSICOLOGIA

Campinas

Año: 2020 vol. 38

0103-166X

Specific psychological treatments for depressive disorders delivered on the Internet have shown effectiveness andpresented advantages over face-to-face treatments (potentially less expensive, flexible schedules, available in remoteareas). This paper aims to describe the characteristics of those who sought help from an online self-guided interventionfor depression and to explore hypotheses about predictors of enrollment to the program. Based on a sample of 282 ofindividuals who filled in screening questionnaires, we verified that the respondents were mainly female, were on average34.36 years old, were primarily recruited through Facebook, had been previously diagnosed by mental health professionals,presented moderate self-efficacy perception, and had moderately severe symptoms of depression. Respondents whoreported comorbid conditions were more likely to attend enrollment interviews, and being in treatment or not did notinfluence attendance. Such characterization may provide strategies to reach more people and to optimize the design ofinterventions targeting help-seeking depressed individuals in Brazil.