Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Author ORCID Identifier
Emily M. Bowers https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7210-8454
Korena S. Klimczak https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2173-6431
Ty B. Aller https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8461-6061
Michael E. Levin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5562-2366
Publisher
Routledge
Publication Date
6-4-2025
Journal Article Version
Accepted Manuscript
First Page
1
Last Page
21
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Abstract
Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) offer scalable solutions for addressing mental health needs, but low adherence remains a significant challenge. Single session DMHIs may offer a feasible alternative to address this issue, providing an accessible and low-effort option for users. The present study examines whether adding the choice of a single session DMHI in addition to a multi-session DMHI provides a feasible alternative for users who might otherwise disengage. This study examined naturalistic data from 509 university students who registered for a 12-session DMHI, single session DMHI, or both. The majority (58%) chose only the multi-session DMHI, while 24.2% chose only the single-session option, and 17.5% registered for both. Rates of completing one session of the chosen DMHI were highest for the single session DMHI (56.1%), with the lowest rates among those who registered for both programs. Users who chose the single session DMHI reported lower motivation and less frequent intentions to address mental health. Satisfaction with the single-session program was high. These results highlight the promise of single-session DMHIs as a feasible and acceptable intervention to help navigate adherence challenges with longer programs, while raising questions about the effectiveness of having users choose between single-session and multi-session DMHIs.
Recommended Citation
Bowers, E. M., Klimczak, K. S., Aller, T. B., & Levin, M. E. (2025). The paradox of choice: user preferences and completion rates in single-session vs. multi-session digital mental health interventions. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2025.2512971
Comments
This is an Accepted Manuscript version of the following article, accepted for publication in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
Bowers, E. M., Klimczak, K. S., Aller, T. B., & Levin, M. E. (2025). The paradox of choice: user preferences and completion rates in single-session vs. multi-session digital mental health interventions. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2025.2512971.
It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This article is available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2025.2512971.