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A Model of Engagement Promotion in a Professionally Facilitated Online Intervention for Couples Affected by Breast Cancer
Author(s) -
Ianakieva Iana,
Fergus Karen,
Ahmad Saunia,
Pos Alberta,
Pereira Amanda
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/jmft.12172
Subject(s) - facilitator , popularity , intervention (counseling) , psychological intervention , psychology , attrition , promotion (chess) , breast cancer , variety (cybernetics) , health promotion , social psychology , applied psychology , medicine , cancer , nursing , computer science , public health , dentistry , artificial intelligence , psychiatry , politics , political science , law
Professionally facilitated web‐based interventions for couples affected by an illness such as cancer are growing in popularity. Attrition rates for such online programs, however, are substantially higher than what is observed in face‐to‐face therapeutic contexts, and lower levels of participant engagement are associated with poorer outcomes. In the present investigation, a task analysis was employed to develop a model of engagement promotion in an online intervention for couples affected by breast cancer called “Couplelinks.” Results indicated that facilitators utilized a variety of meta‐processes, such as humanizing the technology, and associated “eBehaviors,” to maintain three relationships involved in promoting online engagement: (a) between the facilitator and couple; (b) between the intervention and couple; and (c) between the partners within the couple.