Abstract:
Telehealth services can address many barriers to traditional office-based mental health services.
Few studies have assessed youth and caregiver perceptions of and satisfaction with traumafocused interventions delivered via telemental health. The current study presents data collected
using the Telehealth Satisfaction Questionnaire (TSQ), which was developed to measure child
and caregiver satisfaction with services, comfort with the telehealth equipment, and barriers to
traditional office-based services. Thirteen clinicians delivered home- and school-based TraumaFocused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) via videoconferencing on tablets and
computers to 60 child patients (71.7% Latinx, 18.3% Black, and 10.0% non-Hispanic White).
Patients and caregivers completed the TSQ at treatment discharge via telephone,
videoconferencing, or in-person interviews. There was a high level of satisfaction among patients
and caregivers receiving TF-CBT via telemental health. Furthermore, most youth and caregivers
felt comfortable using the telehealth equipment from the outset of therapy, and all participants
who were not initially comfortable using the equipment reported feeling more comfortable over
time. The most common barriers to traditional office-based services were caregiver work
schedule (57.7%), distance to mental health clinic (55.8%), and lack of transportation (44.2%).
Patients and caregivers expressed a preference for telemental health services if given the option
between receiving therapy via videoconferencing versus going to an office-based clinic. Findings
indicated telemental health treatment addressed barriers that would have otherwise prevented
families from accessing office-based services. The Telehealth Satisfaction Questionnaire can be
used to help clinics and providers assess patient and caregiver satisfaction with telehealth
services in various settings.