You Won't Believe How This Dataset Can Revolutionize Online Therapy!
The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on mental health globally, and online therapy has become an essential tool in addressing these challenges. The Psychological Science Accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset offers invaluable insights that can significantly enhance the effectiveness of online therapy, especially for practitioners working in special education. This blog will delve into key findings from this dataset and how you can implement these outcomes to improve your practice.
Understanding the Dataset
The Psychological Science Accelerator (PSA) coordinated three large-scale studies during the pandemic to examine various psychological interventions. The dataset includes responses from 73,223 participants across 111 geopolitical regions and in 44 unique languages/dialects. This comprehensive dataset offers insights into:
- Loss-Gain Framing
- Cognitive Reappraisal
- Self-Determination Theory
Implementing Loss-Gain Framing
The first study focused on how framing health messages as gains or losses affects people's compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. The findings revealed that loss-framed messages increased anxiety but did not significantly impact behavioral intentions or attitudes toward COVID-19 prevention policies.
Practical Application
- Avoid using loss-framed messages that highlight negative consequences, as they can increase anxiety without improving compliance.
- Focus on gain-framed messages that emphasize the benefits of compliance to create a more positive therapeutic environment.
Utilizing Cognitive Reappraisal
The second study examined cognitive reappraisal strategies to regulate emotions during the pandemic. Both reconstrual and repurposing strategies were found to reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions without affecting health behavior intentions.
Practical Application
- Incorporate cognitive reappraisal techniques into your therapy sessions to help clients manage negative emotions effectively.
- Encourage clients to practice reappraisal strategies, such as finding positive aspects in challenging situations, to build emotional resilience.
Applying Self-Determination Theory
The third study explored the impact of autonomy-supportive versus controlling messages on social distancing behaviors. Autonomy-supportive messages were found to decrease feelings of defiance, whereas controlling messages increased controlled motivation but did not improve behavioral intentions.
Practical Application
- Use autonomy-supportive communication styles that provide clients with choices and rationale, fostering a sense of control and ownership over their actions.
- Avoid controlling messages that use shame or blame, as they can lead to resistance and decreased long-term motivation.
Encouraging Further Research
The dataset provides numerous opportunities for further research. By exploring the aggregated data, practitioners can gain deeper insights into the psychological impacts of the pandemic and develop more effective therapeutic interventions.
Action Steps
- Review the dataset to identify trends and patterns that can inform your practice.
- Collaborate with researchers to conduct secondary analyses that explore specific aspects of the dataset relevant to your therapeutic goals.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link:
The Psychological Science Accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset.
Citation: Buchanan, E. M., Lewis, S. C., Paris, B., Forscher, P. S., Pavlacic, J. M., Beshears, J. E., Drexler, S. M., Gourdon-Kanhukamwe, A., Mallik, P. R., Silan, M. A. A., Miller, J. K., IJzerman, H., Moshontz, H., Beaudry, J. L., Suchow, J. W., Chartier, C. R., Coles, N. A., Sharifian, M., Todsen, A. L., Levitan, C. A., Azevedo, F., Legate, N., Heller, B., Rothman, A. J., Dorison, C. A., Gill, B. P., Wang, K., Rees, V. W., Gibbs, N., Goldenberg, A., Thi Nguyen, T., Gross, J. J., Kaminski, G., von Bastian, C. C., Paruzel-Czachura, M., Mosannenzadeh, F., Azouaghe, S., Bran, A., Ruiz-Fernandez, S., Santos, A. C., Reggev, N., Zickfeld, J. H., Akkas, H., Pantazi, M., Ropovik, I., Korbmacher, M., Arriaga, P., Gjoneska, B., Warmelink, L., Alves, S. G., de Holanda Coelho, G. L., Stieger, S., Schei, V., Hanel, P. H. P., Szaszi, B., Fedotov, M., Antfolk, J., Marcu, G.-M., Schrötter, J., Kunst, J. R., Geiger, S. J., Adetula, A., Kocalar, H. E., Kieli?ska, J., Ka?már, P., Bokkour, A., Galindo-Caballero, O. J., Djamai, I., Pöntinen, S. J., AGESIN, B. E., Jernsäther, T., Urooj, A., Rachev, N. R., Koptjevskaja-Tamm, M., Kurfal?, M., Pit, I. L., Li, R., Çoksan, S., Dubrov, D., Paltrow, T. E., Baník, G., Korobova, T., Studzinska, A., Jiang, X., Aruta, J. J. B. R., Vintr, J., Chiu, F., Kaliska, L., Berkessel, J. B., Tümer, M., Morales-Izquierdo, S., Chuan-Peng, H., Vezirian, K., Rosa, A. D., Bialobrzeska, O., Vasilev, M. R., Beitner, J., Kácha, O., Žuro, B., Westerlund, M., Nedelcheva-Datsova, M., Findor, A., Krupi?, D., Kowal, M., Askelund, A. D., Pourafshari, R., ?or?evi?, J. M., Schmidt, N.-D., Baklanova, E., Szala, A., Zakharov, I., Vranka, M. A., Ihaya, K., Grano, C., Cellini, N., Bia?ek, M., Anton-Boicuk, L., Dalgar, I., Ad?güzel, A., Verharen, J. P. H., Maturan, P. L. G., Kassianos, A. P., Oliveira, R., ?adek, M., Adoric, V. C., Özdo?ru, A. A., Sverdrup, T. E., Aczel, B., Zambrano, D., Ahmed, A., Tamnes, C. K., Yamada, Y., Volz, L., Sunami, N., Suter, L., Vieira, L., Groyecka-Bernard, A., Kamburidis, J. A., Reips, U.-D., Harutyunyan, M., Adetula, G. A., Allred, T. B., Barzykowski, K., Antazo, B. G., Zsido, A. N., Šakan, D. D., Cyrus-Lai, W., Ahlgren, L. P., Hruška, M., Vega, D., Manunta, E., Mokady, A., Capizzi, M., Marton?ik, M., Say, N., Filip, K., Vilar, R., Staniaszek, K., Vdovic, M., Adamkovic, M., Johannes, N., Hajdu, N., Cohen, N., Overkott, C., Krupi?, D., Hubena, B., Nilsonne, G., Mioni, G., Solorzano, C. S., Ishii, T., Chen, Z., Kushnir, E., Karaarslan, C., Ribeiro, R. R., Khaoudi, A., Kossowska, M., Bavolar, J., Hoyer, K., Roczniewska, M., Karababa, A., Becker, M., Monteiro, R. P., Kunisato, Y., Metin-Orta, I., Adamus, S., Kozma, L., Czarnek, G., Domurat, A., Štrukelj, E., Alvarez, D. S., Parzuchowski, M., Massoni, S., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Pronizius, E., Muchembled, F., van Schie, K., Saçakl?, A., Hristova, E., Kuzminska, A. O., Charyate, A., Bijlstra, G., Afhami, R., Majeed, N. M., Musser, E. D., Sirota, M., Ross, R. M., Yeung, S. K., Papadatou-Pastou, M., Foroni, F., Almeida, I. A. T., Grigoryev, D., Lewis, D. M. G., Holford, D. L., Janssen, S. M. J., Tatachari, S., Batres, C., Olofsson, J. K., Daches, S., Belaus, A., Pfuhl, G., Corral-Frias, N. S., Sousa, D., Röer, J. P., Isager, P. M., Godbersen, H., Walczak, R. B., Van Doren, N., Ren, D., Gill, T., Voracek, M., DeBruine, L. M., Anne, M., O?ovaj, S. B., Thomas, A. G., Arvanitis, A., Ostermann, T., Wolfe, K., Arinze, N. C., Bundt, C., Lamm, C., Calin-Jageman, R. J., Davis, W. E., Karekla, M., Zorjan, S., Jaremka, L. M., Uttley, J., Hricova, M., Koehn, M. A., Kiselnikova, N., Bai, H., Krafnick, A. J., Balci, B. B., Ballantyne, T., Lins, S., Vally, Z., Esteban-Serna, C., Schmidt, K., Macapagal, P. M. L., Szwed, P., Zdybek, P. M., Moreau, D., Collins, W. M., Joy-Gaba, J. A., Vilares, I., Tran, U. S., Boudesseul, J., Albayrak-Aydemir, N., Dixson, B. J. W., Perillo, J. T., Ferreira, A., Westgate, E. C., Aberson, C. L., Arinze, A. I., Jaeger, B., Butt, M. M., Silva, J. R., Storage, D. S., Janak, A. P., Jiménez-Leal, W., Soto, J. A., Sorokowska, A., McCarthy, R., Tullett, A. M., Frias-Armenta, M., Ribeiro, M. F. F., Hartanto, A., Forbes, P. A. G., Willis, M. L., del Carmen Tejada R, M., Torres, A. J. O., Stephen, I. D., Vaidis, D. C., de la Rosa-Gómez, A., Yu, K., Sutherland, C. A. M., Manavalan, M., Behzadnia, B., Urban, J., Baskin, E., McFall, J. P., Ogbonnaya, C. E., Fu, C. H. Y., Rahal, R.-M., Ndukaihe, I. L. G., Hostler, T. J., Kappes, H. B., Sorokowski, P., Khosla, M., Lazarevic, L. B., Eudave, L., Vilsmeier, J. K., Luis, E. O., Muda, R., Agadullina, E., Cárcamo, R. A., Reeck, C., Anjum, G., Venegas, M. C. T., Misiak, M., Ryan, R. M., Nock, N. L., Travaglino, G. A., Mensink, M. C., Feldman, G., Wichman, A. L., Chou, W., Ziano, I., Seehuus, M., Chopik, W. J., Kung, F. Y. H., Carpentier, J., Vaughn, L. A., Du, H., Xiao, Q., Lima, T. J. S., Noone, C., Onie, S., Verbruggen, F., Radtke, T., Primbs, M. A. (2023). The Psychological Science Accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset. Scientific Data, 10(87). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01811-7
