Cognitive Behavioral TherapyInternet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

While people of color are an increasing segment of the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) population, they are currently underrepresented in research, including studies of psychological distress. Appreciation for psychological distress (anxiety, depression, perceived stress) as a driver of IBD activity has led to increased efforts to integrate psychological interventions into IBD medical care. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most studied psychotherapeutic approach in IBD and the one that suggests improvements in mental health and quality of life in those with elevated psychological distress. There are unanswered questions in the use of CBT in IBD: how to leverage digital technology to deliver CBT through internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT); how do we consider the social context of individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups who may experience distinct social and structural barriers to acceptance and use of psychological interventions? Thus, this study will qualitatively analyze how factors, such as digital access, mental health stigma, and lived experience with IBD and as racial or ethnic minority influence attitudes toward mental health and iCBT in a cohort of Black and Latino IBD patients with elevated psychological distress. Results will lead to adaptation of a CBT program into an iCBT app to be tested for acceptance/use and to explore effects on psychological and disease-related factors.