Implementing interpersonal psychotherapy globally: a content analysis from 31 countries.

Area of Science:

• Implementation Science
• Global Mental Health
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) has proven efficacy, yet real-world implementation challenges remain under-explored globally.
• A book was compiled through local author contributions to document IPT's global reach across diverse settings.
• This study focuses on summarizing barriers and facilitators to IPT implementation based on these global experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To collate and summarize barriers and facilitators encountered during the implementation of Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) in 31 countries.
• To organize these implementation factors using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

Main Methods:

• Conceptual content analysis of contributions from local authors describing IPT implementation.
• Deductive application of the updated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to categorize findings.
• Analysis covered 31 countries and 15 diverse US populations, spanning various ages and usage types.

Main Results:

• IPT was generally found relevant and acceptable, with minor contextual tailoring needed.
• Outer setting barriers included national policies and mental health stigma; inner setting factors involved specialist availability and infrastructure.
• Nonspecialized providers often delivered IPT, but faced workload issues; clients struggled with access, mitigated by telehealth and shorter durations.

Conclusions:

• Successful IPT implementation requires addressing policy, stigma, and infrastructure.
• Adapting delivery (telehealth, shorter duration) and training nonspecialized providers are key strategies.
• Ensuring competency through training and supervision is vital but resource-intensive.