Table 6.
Major themes of the qualitative results for the individual-related barriers and facilitators from participants’ perspectives (mentioned by at least 4 participants; N=40).
| Categories (barriers) | Participants | Definition | Supporting quotations | ||||||
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Values, n (%) | Number of excerptsa |
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| Individual-related barriers (n=9)b | |||||||||
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Time-consuming private life | 23 (58) | 47 | Participants perceived their private life as time-consuming because of household chores, hobbies, family, and friends, such that there was limited time available to work on the IBIc. | “That I was so busy privately, that I had no head for it. Primarily I had to take care of others to keep that going and myself I had to put aside. That was the only reason.” [Interview 38] | ||||
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Lack of support from family and friends | 17 (43) | 32 | Participants experienced family and friends (initially) as not being supportive, accepting, helpful, or motivating regarding their IBI participation. | “You know, now when I say I have an appointment with the family doctor, right?! To take blood. Then that’s alright. The environment knows that this has to be done now. But if I then sit down at the computer for an hour or ninety minutes and do something like that, well! Then...this is so negatively valued.” [Interview 31] | ||||
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Limiting mental or cognitive factors | 12 (30) | 15 | Limiting mental or cognitive factors (eg, exhaustion, tiredness, and difficulty in concentrating) were perceived as challenging. | “Either I was too tired or I had worked too much.” [Interview 36] | ||||
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Lack of possibility of retreating to reflect on the IBI | 10 (25) | 12 | Participants reported the lack of the possibility of retreating to a private and quiet space to reflect on the IBI as challenging. | “Predominantly it was a problem of time or just that there was too much hustle and bustle, so that you couldn’t really go back to it, or just actually hunkered down in a room where it was quiet.” [Interview 13] | ||||
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Lack of computer skills or technical affinity | 8 (20) | 9 | The lack of computer skills or technical affinity or the dislike of technical devices were perceived as challenging. | “That is quite concretely that I don’t really like to sit at the computer and don’t like to or rather would like to get away from surfing the Internet.” [Interview 29] | ||||
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(Self-made) time or performance pressure | 7 (18) | 7 | Participants experienced (self-made) time pressure or performance pressure (eg, regarding the IBI and regarding the job) as challenging. |
“Yes, sometimes I didn’t progress as fast as I wanted, so I probably put myself under a bit of pressure there, but that had nothing to do with the training, because it’s the same for everyone....” [Interview 13] | ||||
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Lack of perceived IBI success | 6 (15) | 12 | Participants experienced no improvements because of the IBI (eg, no pain reduction or improvement in well-being) or reported that they did not consider the IBI to be promising for achieving improvements. | “...The decisive point was actually that...I thought that the training would be of no use to me...” [Interview 39] | ||||
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Lack of motivation | 6 (15) | 6 | Participants reported experiencing a lack of motivation or such a low level of psychological strain, that there was no motivation to work with the IBI. | “...Sometimes you’re just not motivated, let’s say you don’t feel like it or want to do something else, that you don't always want to deal with it. Yes, but then that’s a sign that you’re doing so well, that the pressure of psychological strain is no longer there....” [Interview 21] | ||||
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Limiting somatic factors | 4 (10) | 6 | Somatic factors (eg, chronic physical pain and pain caused by sitting for a long time) made it difficult to take part in the IBI. | “Yeah, because I’m in such massive pain and the painkillers didn’t work and then you can’t concentrate, not when there are so many, SO many questions that are actually always the same.” [Interview 11] | ||||
| Individual-related facilitators (n=6)d | |||||||||
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Presence of motivation, curiosity, interest, and perseverance | 30 (75) | 39 | Participants reported experiencing motivation, curiosity, and interest relating to the next modules or the feedback from the e-coach or referred to their own attitude to follow through on something that they started. | “Curiosity about the next lesson. And also, curiosity about the feedback from the e-coach.” [Interview 29] | ||||
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Support from family and friends | 20 (50) | 46 | The participants perceived support and acceptance from family and friends (eg, regarding the IBI use and regarding private and work life) as helpful. | “The family that has accepted everything and also notices, when you feel better or that you’re not so, let’s say, dissatisfied or whining, let’s say, so in that respect it’s already good now.” [Interview 15] | ||||
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Perceived IBI success | 19 (48) | 34 | Participants reported that it was helpful to observe improvements in everyday life, or to at least have the hope for success (eg, reduction of pain and improvement of well-being). | “The results I have felt for myself in my everyday life.” [Interview 22] | ||||
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Flexible time management in private life | 17 (43) | 22 | Flexible time management in private life (eg, because of living alone) was perceived as helpful. | “Yes, maybe...that the children are simply already more grown up. Well with small children, who then scream all the time, I don’t think that would have worked.” [Interview 20] | ||||
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Scheduling of fixed time slots for the IBI | 6 (15) | 6 | The scheduling of fixed time slots (eg, midday) for the IBI was perceived as helpful. | “Yes, I think it’s better if you just set certain...times, that you say, Monday evening at 8 or 9 pm I will do now one lesson” [Interview 20] | ||||
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Possibility of retreating to reflect on the IBI | 4 (10) | 5 | Participants reported the possibility of retreating to a private and quiet space to reflect on the IBI as helpful. | “...That I have my quiet, closed computer workplace. Where I have a place of retreat, so to speak, which is otherwise a workplace, but that I have used for this....” [Interview 21] | ||||
aTotal number of excerpts, including multiple mentions from the same persons.
bFactors related to the private life or personal factors that made it difficult for the participants to take part in the internet-based intervention.
cIBI: internet-based intervention.
dFactors related to the private life or personal factors that made it easier for the participants to take part in the internet-based intervention.