Web-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Tobacco Cessation Program for Veterans With Mental Health Disorders:...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health Interventions
• Behavioral Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• US veterans with mental health disorders exhibit high smoking rates and low cessation success.
• Tobacco use poses significant health risks, particularly for this vulnerable population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt and evaluate the usability of Vet WebQuit, a web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention, for tobacco cessation among veterans with mental health disorders.
• To gather qualitative feedback on user experience and identify areas for improvement.

Main Methods:

• Usability testing involving 16 veterans with mental health disorders who participated in laboratory-based sessions.
• Participants engaged in a "think aloud" process while navigating the Vet WebQuit platform.
• Semistructured interviews were conducted to gather in-depth feedback on intervention features and user experience.

Main Results:

• Veterans found the Vet WebQuit interface simple, intuitive, and easy to navigate.
• Key features identified as beneficial included the quit plan, trigger identification, mental health content, health effects information, urge surfing, and social support integration.
• ACT-specific elements like trigger distinction, the serenity prayer, and mindfulness exercises were appealing for managing cravings.

Conclusions:

• The adapted Vet WebQuit intervention demonstrates potential as a usable digital tool for smoking cessation in veterans with mental health disorders.
• Key elements of ACT-based digital interventions were identified, offering insights for future development and implementation.