%0 Journal Article
%@ 2561-326X
%I JMIR Publications
%V 7
%N 
%P e40509
%T Digital Intervention Barriers Scale–7 (DIBS-7): Development, Evaluation, and Preliminary Validation
%A Ramos,Giovanni
%A Montoya,Amanda Kay
%A Hammons,Hayley Renee
%A Smith,Danielle
%A Chavira,Denise April
%A Rith-Najarian,Leslie Rose
%+ Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States, 1 7865642448, gioramos@ucla.edu
%K barriers
%K development
%K digital mental health intervention
%K measure
%K psychometrics
%K scale
%K validation
%D 2023
%7 6.4.2023
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Form Res
%G English
%X Background: The translation of mental health services into digital formats, deemed digital mental health interventions (DMHIs), has the potential to address long-standing obstacles to accessing care. However, DMHIs have barriers of their own that impact enrollment, adherence, and attrition in these programs. Unlike in traditional face-to-face therapy, there is a paucity of standardized and validated measures of barriers in DMHIs. Objective: In this study, we describe the preliminary development and evaluation of such a scale, the Digital Intervention Barriers Scale-7 (DIBS-7). Methods: Following an iterative QUAN → QUAL mixed methods approach, item generation was guided by qualitative analysis of feedback from participants (n=259) who completed a DMHI trial for anxiety and depression and identified barriers related to self-motivation, ease of use, acceptability, and comprehension of tasks. Item refinement was achieved through DMHI expert review. A final item pool was administered to 559 treatment completers (mean age 23.02 years; 438/559, 78.4% female; 374/559, 69.9% racially or ethnically minoritized). Exploratory factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses were estimated to determine the psychometric properties of the measure. Finally, criterion-related validity was examined by estimating partial correlations between the DIBS-7 mean score and constructs related to treatment engagement in DMHIs. Results: Statistical analyses estimated a 7-item unidimensional scale with high internal consistency (α=.82, ω=0.89). Preliminary criterion-related validity was supported by significant partial correlations between the DIBS-7 mean score and treatment expectations (pr=–0.25), number of modules with activity (pr=–0.55), number of weekly check-ins (pr=–0.28), and treatment satisfaction (pr=–0.71). Conclusions: Overall, these results provide preliminary support for the use of the DIBS-7 as a potentially useful short scale for clinicians and researchers interested in measuring an important variable often associated with treatment adherence and outcomes in DMHIs. 
%M 37023417
%R 10.2196/40509
%U https://formative.jmir.org/2023/1/e40509
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/40509
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37023417