Towards the diversification of drivers and barriers for the adoption of eMental health by professionals: a conceptual model

Introduction: The Internet and mediated communication technologies offer major opportunities in supporting mental healthcare, and evidence for the effectiveness of eMental health is growing. However, their acceptance and use in clinical practice remains low. Material & methods: The current study deployed a qualitative descriptive approach to gain structured insight into the experienced drivers and barriers to adoption of eMental health from the perspective of clinical psychologists. Results: Multiple drivers and barriers emerged from the analysis of the data, several of which are new to the literature. Importantly, particular drivers and barriers are experienced differently by practitioners depending on the extent to which they have adopted online treatment. Based on these findings, we constructed the Levels of Adoption of eMental Health (LAMH) model, which distinguishes several categories of adoption of eMental health, and characterizes experienced drivers and barriers as a function of them. The LAMH model was then supported through a communicative validation. Conclusion: The LAMH model provides a more structured understanding of the process of adopting eMental health, thereby facilitating future research on this topic, and informs targeted recommendations with respect to technology, training and clinical practice that take into account the individual level of adoption.