Feasibility and acceptability of remote technologies for the treatment of trauma- and stressor-related disorders in adults: mixed-methods systematic review

Marjolaine Rivest-Beauregard; Justine Fortin; Élyse Gauthier; Michelle Lonergan; Alain Brunet; Manuela Ferrari

doi:10.1192/bjo.2025.10832

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Feasibility and acceptability of remote technologies for the treatment of trauma- and stressor-related disorders in adults: mixed-methods systematic review

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Feasibility and acceptability of remote technologies for the treatment of trauma- and stressor-related disorders in adults: mixed-methods systematic review

Marjolaine Rivest-Beauregard, Justine Fortin, Élyse Gauthier, Michelle Lonergan, Alain Brunet and Manuela Ferrari

BJPsych Open, Vol.11(6), pp.1-15

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2025.10832

PMID: 41122899

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Abstract

synchronicity

interactivity

trauma- and stressor-related disorders

Remote interventions

systematic review

Other Collaborations

Thompson Institute Special Collection

Background Trauma- and stressor-related disorders (TSRD) are debilitating mental health conditions. Given the barriers to traditional services, remote and online technologies are increasingly used in treating TSRD. Aims This mixed-methods systematic review aimed to identify remote technologies and assessed their feasibility and acceptability in treating adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder and adjustment disorder (AjD). Method The databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, PubMed and the Cochrane Library were screened to identify studies investigating the feasibility and acceptability of remote interventions for PTSD, acute stress disorder and AjD in adults. Studies that obtained poor-quality ratings on critical appraisal tools were excluded. Results were synthesised using a narrative review approach. Results In total, there were 74 studies evaluating 27 remote interventions for TSRD: online interventions (k = 47, 63.51%), mobile applications (k = 17, 22.97%), video conferencing (k = 9, 12.16%) and message-based systems (k = 1, 1.35%). Findings from the review showed higher feasibility and acceptability for interventions with an interactive clinician–patient component. Among self-directed interventions, only two applications and eight online interventions provided a clinician component. Most studies targeted PTSD, with few targeting other diagnoses. Conclusions Recommendations related to remote interventions for TSRDs should be broadened to include AjD and other underrepresented diagnoses, and tailored to individual patients’ profiles, including their ability to sustain engagement and clinical needs, using a stepped-care approach.

Details

Title: Feasibility and acceptability of remote technologies for the treatment of trauma- and stressor-related disorders in adults: mixed-methods systematic review
Authors: Marjolaine Rivest-Beauregard - Douglas Mental Health University Institute
Justine Fortin - Université du Québec à Montréal
Élyse Gauthier - Douglas Mental Health University Institute
Michelle Lonergan - Mental Health Research Canada
Alain Brunet - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Manuela Ferrari (Corresponding Author) - Douglas Mental Health University Institute
Publication details: BJPsych Open, Vol.11(6), pp.1-15
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2025.10832
ISSN: 2056-4724
PMID: 41122899
Copyright note: © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal College of Psychiatrists. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the same Creative Commons licence is used to distribute the re-used or adapted article and the original article is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained prior to any commercial use.
Data Availability: Data availability is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
Organisation Unit: Thompson Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991182345302621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Psychiatry

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