The Working Alliance Inventory for guided Internet interventions (WAI-I)

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Digital Health

Background:

• Guided Internet interventions are increasingly used for mental health treatment.
• Assessing the therapeutic alliance is crucial for understanding treatment effectiveness.
• Existing tools may not be optimized for the unique context of online interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the psychometric properties of the Working Alliance Inventory adapted for guided Internet interventions (WAI-I).
• To validate the WAI-I as a reliable and accurate measure of therapeutic alliance in digital mental health settings.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted on data from 223 patients undergoing a guided Internet intervention for depression.
• The study examined two- and three-factor solutions for the WAI-I.
• Internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and external validity (correlations with satisfaction and attitudes questionnaires) were assessed.

Main Results:

• A two-factor solution for the WAI-I demonstrated a very good model fit.
• The WAI-I exhibited evidence of factor independency, adequate internal consistency, and external validity.
• The instrument effectively captured the therapeutic alliance in the context of guided Internet interventions.

Conclusions:

• The WAI-I is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring therapeutic alliance in guided Internet interventions.
• This validated tool can facilitate process-outcome research and treatment development in digital mental health.
• The findings support the use of the WAI-I to enhance the understanding and efficacy of online psychological treatments.