[Computerized therapy: An option to facilitate access to therapy among young adults?]

Introduction Of all age groups, young Canadian adults have the highest prevalence rates of anxiety and depression. Yet, they are also the least likely to access traditional face-to-face mental health services. Facilitating access to evidence-based therapy among young adults is thus particularly important, namely in rural parts of Canada as well as among its linguistic minorities. Computerized therapy could be a cost-effective alternative. However, little is known about how young adults perceive it.Objectives This study aimed to assess the influence of self-stigma, need for autonomy and attitudes toward computerized therapy on the intent of Francophone young adults to use computerized therapy. The impact of visiting the Website of a virtual psychology clinic on their intent to use computerized therapy was also assessed.Method Forty-four young adults attending a French University in New Brunswick completed online self-report measures before and after visiting the Website of the MindSpot Clinic, a virtual psychology clinic offering evidence-based computerized therapy programs for anxiety and depression.Results Higher levels of self-stigma were moderately correlated with higher levels of need for autonomy, which in turn were moderately associated with more positive attitudes toward computerized therapy. Only more positive attitudes toward computerized therapy were moderately and directly correlated with a higher intent of using this type of therapy. T-tests revealed that visiting the MindSpot Clinic's Website produced a significant and large increase in the intent to use computerized therapy.Conclusions Computerized therapy may facilitate access to evidence-based treatments of anxiety and depression among Francophone young adults from New Brunswick, and perhaps from other parts of Canada as well. Websites similar to the one of the MindSpot Clinic may be an efficient strategy to provide young Canadian adults with helpful information on computerized therapy, as this therapy format is not established yet in Canada. A research program conducted by the first author aims to make it accessible in New Brunswick in both official languages.