Knowledge About Treatment, Anxiety, and Depression in Association With Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents: Development and Initial Evaluation of a New Test

Abstract

Evaluating knowledge and learning in psychotherapy is a growing field of research. Studies that develop and evaluate valid tests are lacking, however. Here, in the context of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) for adolescents, a new test was developed using subject matter experts, consensus among researchers, self-reports by youths, and a literature review. An explorative factor analysis was performed on 93 adolescents between 15 and 19 years old, resulting in a three-factor solution with 20 items, accounting for 41% of the total variance. The factors were Act in aversive states, Using positive reinforcement, and Shifting attention. The internal consistency for the whole instrument was good (α = .84). Hopefully, the procedure presented here can contribute to the field by illustrating one way of evaluating knowledge in ICBT. The clinical use of the knowledge test needs further investigation.