Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Mar 15, 2024
Date Accepted: Aug 12, 2024
Exploring Client Preferences for Psychological Counselors in China: A Longitudinal Study in an Online Health Community
ABSTRACT
Background:
Although online health communities are acknowledged for their role in bridging the supply-demand gap in mental health services, the client decision-making process in these environments remains underexplored.
Objective:
This study aimed t to explore the impact of information presented on psychological counselors' homepages on clients’ choices.
Methods:
Data were collected from 573 psychological counselors in a leading Chinese online mental health community in March and April 2023. Adopting signaling theory as the framework, this study classified information into online and offline signals and developed a theoretical model to examine client selection behaviors. Multiple linear regression was employed to analyze the data.
Results:
Regarding online signals, the service price (β=0.395, P<.001) and online reputation (β=1.429, P<.001) of psychological counselors are positively related to clients’ choices. Concerning offline signals, psychological counselors’ professional titles (β=0.064, P<.01) and practical experience (β=0.502, P<.001) are positively related to clients’ choices. Moreover, the results indicate that the relationship between a counselor's prosocial behavior and client choice is not linear, instead exhibiting an inverted U-shape.
Conclusions:
Within online health communities, the varied information provided by psychological counselors has different impacts on clients’ choices. Our study broadens the application of signaling theory to online behaviors and offers strategic insights for both counselors and online platforms to better cater to the needs of potential clients. Clinical Trial: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science & Technology (No. IORG0003571).
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