(PS9-B27) Dropping out of NO-FEAR Airlines: A Qualitative Study

Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (ICBT) interventions have been developed for a wide range of psychological disorders and have shown to be effective improving clinical symptoms. However, the high attrition rates in these interventions are still a major concern and more research needs to be done to overcome this problem. The aim of the present study was to conduct a qualitative analysis to explore the subjective experience of a sample of participants who dropped out of a feasibility study using an ICBT for Flying phobia (FP). The sample included 9 participants (8 women, 1 man) with a mean age of 37.33 years (SD = 10.06). The intervention was NO-FEAR Airlines, an ICBT for FP with online exposure scenarios. An independent researcher contacted participants who had not finished the intervention. Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) methodology was followed. Two judges established domains, categories, and core ideas with participant responses and discussed them with an auditor to reach a consensus. Results showed that the most frequent problems referred by participants with the intervention program were the absence of emotional arousal and the low immersion of the exposure scenarios. The most requested change to improve the program was to include more immersive exposure scenarios such as videos. The data of the present study is relevant to improve NO-FEAR Airlines ICBT and to enhance adherence to the program, helping to expand the knowledge in this field with the opinion of a clinical sample regarding the level of immersion of online exposure scenarios.