What explains trust in online mental health therapy provision platforms? An online descriptive survey

Digital Health. 2024. Vol. 10.

Elizaveta Fomicheva, Jasmin Jyrgalbek, Oxana Mikhaylova

Background
Currently, there is an increased interest in providing mental health care through digital devices and
services, and the demand for these services is growing.
Objective
In this study, we considered the phenomenon of trust in online consultations, and the factors
affecting this trust, within a Russian context.
Methods
An online survey was conducted using Google Forms in May 2023 and the data were analyzed
using SPSS. All the participants were students from Moscow universities aged from 18 to 35 years.
The final sample consisted of 203 students, of which 154 (75.9%) were women, 44 (21.7%) were
men, and five (2.5%) preferred not to specify their gender.
Results
We found that students had a high level of trust, which depended on personal factors, such as
experience, socio-economic status, and age, and contextual factors, such as geographical and
temporal independence, price of the session, availability of recommendations, popularity of the
platform, and the level of technical equipment.

Keywords: trust, Online therapy, online psychotherapy, teletherapy, E-therapy, digital psychological assistance services (DPAS)

Publication based on the results of: Life Choices: Factors and Mechanisms for Making Key Decisions at Different Life Stages (2024)