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Rarey F, Thomas J, Berghöfer A, Kuchinke L, Meinlschmidt G, Rummel-Kluge C, Wundrack R, Ziegler M. The association of socioeconomic status with the success of chat-based online counseling for children and youth: A latent change score modeling approach. Internet Interv 2024; 37:100753. [PMID: 39006905 PMCID: PMC11245948 DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2024.100753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Children and youth from lower subjective socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are at a heightened risk of mental disorders. Online counseling is a valuable tool to reach those less likely to seek professional help, but its success across different SES backgrounds remains unclear. This study explores the association between subjective SES and online counseling outcomes. Children and youth (N = 2139) between 10 and 24 years-of-age received chat-based online counseling and reported on SES, negative feelings before and after the chat, and perceived helpfulness of the chat via an online assessment tool. The results of a latent change score model showed a significant association between SES and negative feelings before chatting, indicating that lower SES predicted more negative feelings (r = -0.26, p < .001). Further, SES was indirectly associated with the change in negative feelings from before to after counseling, mediated by the extent of negative feelings before the chat (β = 0.07, 95%CFI = [0.05-0.10]). Current findings extend research on online counseling programs in the context of SES. Despite higher counseling needs among low SES individuals, they do not benefit proportionally from existing online services in this sample. Future research should investigate barriers to help-seeking and implement specialized counselor training programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Rarey
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Thomas
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- krisenchat gGmbH, Germany
| | | | - Lars Kuchinke
- International Psychoanalytic University Berlin, Germany
| | - Gunther Meinlschmidt
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, International Psychoanalytic University (IPU) Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Digital and Blended Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy - Methods and Approaches, Department of Psychology, Trier University, Trier, Germany
| | - Christine Rummel-Kluge
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Leipzig University Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
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Baldofski S, Scheider J, Kohls E, Klemm SL, Koenig J, Bauer S, Moessner M, Kaess M, Eschenbeck H, Lehner L, Becker K, Krämer J, Diestelkamp S, Thomasius R, Rummel-Kluge C. Intentions and barriers to help-seeking in adolescents and young adults differing in depression severity: cross-sectional results from a school-based mental health project. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2024; 18:84. [PMID: 39010111 PMCID: PMC11251315 DOI: 10.1186/s13034-024-00775-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mental health problems, such as depression, have a high prevalence in young people. However, the majority of youths suffering from depression do not seek professional help. This study aimed to compare help-seeking behavior, intentions and perceived barriers between youthswith different levels of depressive symptoms. METHODS This cross-sectional study is part of a large-scale, multi-center project. Participants were n = 9509 youths who were recruited in German schools and completed a baseline screening questionnaire. Based on their depressive symptoms, youths were allocated to the following three subgroups: (a) without depressive symptoms, (b) with subclinical symptoms, (c) with clinical symptoms (measured by PHQ-A). Quantitative analyses compared previous help-seeking behavior, help-seeking intentions and perceived barriers (Barriers questionnaire) between these subgroups. An additional exploratory qualitative content analysis examined text answers on other perceived barriers to help-seeking. RESULTS Participants were mostly female (n = 5575, 58.6%) and 12 to 24 years old (M = 15.09, SD 2.37). Participants with different levels of depressive symptoms differed significantly in help-seeking behavior, intentions and perceived barriers. Specifically, participants with clinical depressive symptoms reported more previous help-seeking, but lower intentions to seek help compared to participants without symptoms (all p < 0.05). Participants with subclinical depressive symptoms reported a similar frequency of previous help-seeking, but higher intentions to seek help compared to participants without symptoms (all p < 0.05). Perception of barriers was different across subgroups: participants with clinical and subclinical depressive symptoms perceived the majority of barriers such as stigma, difficulties in accessibility, and family-related barriers as more relevant than participants without depressive symptoms. Across all subgroups, participants frequently mentioned intrapersonal reasons, a high need for autonomy, and a lack of mental health literacy as barriers to help-seeking. CONCLUSIONS Youths with higher levels of depressive symptoms are more reluctant to seek professional help and perceive higher barriers. This underlines the need for effective and low-threshold interventions to tackle barriers, increase help-seeking, and lower depressive symptoms in adolescents and young adults differing in depression severity. TRIAL REGISTRATION DRKS00014685.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Baldofski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jelena Scheider
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Kohls
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sarah-Lena Klemm
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julian Koenig
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Stephanie Bauer
- Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, Center for Psychotherapy Research, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Mannheim/Heidelberg/Ulm, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Markus Moessner
- Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, Center for Psychotherapy Research, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Kaess
- University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Heike Eschenbeck
- Department of Psychology, University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
| | - Laya Lehner
- Department of Psychology, University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
| | - Katja Becker
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty of the Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Krämer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty of the Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Silke Diestelkamp
- German Center for Addiction Research in Childhood and Adolescence, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rainer Thomasius
- German Center for Addiction Research in Childhood and Adolescence, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christine Rummel-Kluge
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
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Hornstein S, Scharfenberger J, Lueken U, Wundrack R, Hilbert K. Predicting recurrent chat contact in a psychological intervention for the youth using natural language processing. NPJ Digit Med 2024; 7:132. [PMID: 38762694 PMCID: PMC11102489 DOI: 10.1038/s41746-024-01121-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Chat-based counseling hotlines emerged as a promising low-threshold intervention for youth mental health. However, despite the resulting availability of large text corpora, little work has investigated Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications within this setting. Therefore, this preregistered approach (OSF: XA4PN) utilizes a sample of approximately 19,000 children and young adults that received a chat consultation from a 24/7 crisis service in Germany. Around 800,000 messages were used to predict whether chatters would contact the service again, as this would allow the provision of or redirection to additional treatment. We trained an XGBoost Classifier on the words of the anonymized conversations, using repeated cross-validation and bayesian optimization for hyperparameter search. The best model was able to achieve an AUROC score of 0.68 (p < 0.01) on the previously unseen 3942 newest consultations. A shapely-based explainability approach revealed that words indicating younger age or female gender and terms related to self-harm and suicidal thoughts were associated with a higher chance of recontacting. We conclude that NLP-based predictions of recurrent contact are a promising path toward personalized care at chat hotlines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvan Hornstein
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany.
| | | | - Ulrike Lueken
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Berlin/Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Richard Wundrack
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Kevin Hilbert
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
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Efe Z, Baldofski S, Kohls E, Eckert M, Saee S, Thomas J, Wundrack R, Rummel-Kluge C. Linguistic Variables and Gender Differences Within a Messenger-Based Psychosocial Chat Counseling Service for Children and Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study. JMIR Form Res 2024; 8:e51795. [PMID: 38214955 PMCID: PMC10818237 DOI: 10.2196/51795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Text messaging is widely used by young people for communicating and seeking mental health support through chat-based helplines. However, written communication lacks nonverbal cues, and language usage is an important source of information about a person's mental health state and is known to be a marker for psychopathology. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to investigate language usage, and its gender differences and associations with the presence of psychiatric symptoms within a chat counseling service for adolescents and young adults. METHODS For this study, the anonymized chat content of a German messenger-based psychosocial chat counseling service for children and adolescents ("krisenchat") between May 2020 and July 2021 was analyzed. In total, 661,131 messages from 6962 users were evaluated using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, considering the following linguistic variables: first-person singular and plural pronouns, negations, positive and negative emotion words, insight words, and causation words. Descriptive analyses were performed, and gender differences of those variables were evaluated. Finally, a binary logistic regression analysis examined the predictive value of linguistic variables on the presence of psychiatric symptoms. RESULTS Across all analyzed chats, first-person singular pronouns were used most frequently (965,542/8,328,309, 11.6%), followed by positive emotion words (408,087/8,328,309, 4.9%), insight words (341,460/8,328,309, 4.1%), negations (316,475/8,328,309, 3.8%), negative emotion words (266,505/8,328,309, 3.2%), causation words (241,520/8,328,309, 2.9%), and first-person plural pronouns (499,698/8,328,309, 0.6%). Female users and users identifying as diverse used significantly more first-person singular pronouns and insight words than male users (both P<.001). Negations were significantly more used by female users than male users or users identifying as diverse (P=.007). Similar findings were noted for negative emotion words (P=.01). The regression model of predicting psychiatric symptoms by linguistic variables was significant and indicated that increased use of first-person singular pronouns (odds ratio [OR] 1.05), negations (OR 1.11), and negative emotion words (OR 1.15) was positively associated with the presence of psychiatric symptoms, whereas increased use of first-person plural pronouns (OR 0.39) and causation words (OR 0.90) was negatively associated with the presence of psychiatric symptoms. Suicidality, self-harm, and depression showed the most significant correlations with linguistic variables. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the importance of examining linguistic features in chat counseling contexts. By integrating psycholinguistic findings into counseling practice, counselors may better understand users' psychological processes and provide more targeted support. For instance, certain linguistic features, such as high use of first-person singular pronouns, negations, or negative emotion words, may indicate the presence of psychiatric symptoms, particularly among female users and users identifying as diverse. Further research is needed to provide an in-depth look into language processes within chat counseling services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeki Efe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sabrina Baldofski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Kohls
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Richard Wundrack
- Krisenchat gGmbH, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Chair of Personality Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christine Rummel-Kluge
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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Dewanti SR, Astuti B. The importance of observing the client's behaviour during psychological chat. J Public Health (Oxf) 2023; 45:e818-e819. [PMID: 37353911 DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdad099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Nowadays, technology-based counselling like artificial intelligence (AI) and messenger-based counselling (MBC) is believed to be beneficial. However, how to observe and to interpret the client's behaviour during MBC is not simple even for the counsellor, and AI will not be able to do so. For instance, the behaviours worth highlighting when conducting MBC are type-delete-retype-delete-retype, the typing period, emoticons and replay quickness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Septinda R Dewanti
- Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice, School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Rd, Kelvin Grove, QLD 4059, Australia
- Department of Educational Psychology and Guidance, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Yogyakarta State University, Colombo St. No.1, 55281 Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Budi Astuti
- Department of Educational Psychology and Guidance, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Yogyakarta State University, Colombo St. No.1, 55281 Yogyakarta, Indonesia
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Efe Z, Baldofski S, Eckert M, Guenthner L, Saee S, Thomas J, Wundrack R, Kohls E, Rummel-Kluge C. Who are frequent chatters? Characterization of frequent users in a 24/7 messenger-based psychological chat counseling service for children and adolescents. Internet Interv 2023; 33:100638. [PMID: 37361028 PMCID: PMC10285518 DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2023.100638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Online helplines have shown a high acceptance, feasibility, and usability, especially with young people. Helplines usually aim to provide one-time crisis intervention; however, there are users who frequently use such services, tying a disproportionately large proportion of service capacities. To date, there is no research on the characterization of frequent users of online helplines. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to characterize frequent chatters in a chat-based counseling context. Methods This cross-sectional study retrospectively analyzed anonymous data of users who approached the German messenger-based psychological chat counseling service krisenchat between May 2020 and July 2021 (N = 6657), with a focus on frequent users - the "frequent chatters". Frequent chatters were defined as those who received an above average (M + 2 ∗ SD) amount of messages from counselors over a period of one week and had at least 7 days of contact with the service over the entire data collection period. Chi-square-tests and Mann-Whitney-U tests were conducted to identify differences between frequent users and the population of all users. Results In total, n = 99 (1.5 %) users met the definition for frequent chatters and accounted for roughly a tenth (9.85 %) of all chats of the service. The mean frequent chatter was 17 years old (M = 17.29, SD = 3.56), female (n = 78, 82.1 %), and approached the service in the late afternoon (M = 5:00 pm, SD = 5:25 h). Compared to the general user population, frequent chatters reported significantly more severe concerns to counselors, of which 81.8 % included psychiatric symptoms, such as suicidality (43.4 %) and non-suicidal self-injury (41.4 %). In addition, frequent chatters were significantly more likely to contact krisenchat alongside the use of other professional help services. Further, frequent chatters wrote significantly longer and more messages during the counseling process and within a session than the general user population of krisenchat. Compared to the general user population, frequent chatters did not differ in their satisfaction with the service. Conclusion Frequent users are known from telephone helplines and are also represented in a chat-based context. Compared to the general user population, they are more likely to report serious mental health conditions and half of them currently receive professional help, suggesting a high need for social support. In light of the increasing development of chat-based helplines, there is a need for further research on frequent chatters to develop tailored counseling strategies for their needs and to analyze options for an optimized service provision. Study registration DRKS00026671.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeki Efe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sabrina Baldofski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Lukas Guenthner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | - Richard Wundrack
- krisenchat gGmbH, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Chair of Personality Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Kohls
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christine Rummel-Kluge
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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Baldofski S, Kohls E, Efe Z, Eckert M, Saee S, Thomas J, Wundrack R, Rummel-Kluge C. The Impact of a Messenger-Based Psychosocial Chat Counseling Service on Further Help-Seeking Among Children and Young Adults: Longitudinal Study. JMIR Ment Health 2023; 10:e43780. [PMID: 37195747 DOI: 10.2196/43780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mental crises have high prevalences in adolescence. Early interventions appear to be highly important to diminish the risk of the deterioration, recurrence, or chronification of symptoms. In recent years, various providers have started offering live chat support in psychological crises. The messenger-based psychological counseling service krisenchat aims to support young people in crises and, if necessary, provide a recommendation for a referral to the health care system or to seek further help from a trusted adult person. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the impact of using the counseling service of krisenchat on the further help-seeking behavior of young people, and to identify associated factors of further help-seeking. METHODS This longitudinal study analyzed anonymous data from 247 individuals who used krisenchat between October 2021 and March 2022, and received a recommendation for further help-seeking. An online survey directly after the chat assessed the perceived helpfulness of the chat and well-being after the chat. After 4 weeks, further help-seeking, facilitators and barriers to help-seeking, and self-efficacy were assessed in an online follow-up survey. RESULTS The most frequently recommended services or persons to seek further help from included a psychotherapist or social psychiatric service (75/225, 33.3%), a school psychologist or school social worker (52/225, 23.1%), and the user's parents (45/225, 20.0%). Of the 247 users, 120 (48.6%) indicated that they contacted the recommended service or person, and of these, 87 (72.5%) stated that they already had an appointment (or talk) with the respective service or person or that an appointment (or talk) was scheduled. The most frequently reported facilitators for further help-seeking were mental health literacy (54/120, 45.0%), improvement of self-efficacy (55/120, 45.8%), and symptom recognition (40/120, 33.3%). In users not displaying further help-seeking behavior, the most frequent barriers included stigmatization (60/127, 47.2%), lack of mental health literacy (59/127, 46.5%), need for self-reliance and autonomy (53/127, 41.7%), and negative family beliefs regarding help services (53/127, 41.7%). Subgroup comparisons indicated significantly higher levels of self-efficacy in users displaying further help-seeking behavior than in those not displaying further help-seeking behavior. Both subgroups did not differ in gender, age, recommended service or person, chat topics, perceived helpfulness, and well-being. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study indicate that children and young adults receiving counseling on krisenchat benefit in terms of seeking further help. Further help-seeking seems to be associated with higher levels of self-efficacy. TRIAL REGISTRATION Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien DRKS00026671; https://tinyurl.com/4fm5xe68.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Baldofski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Kohls
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Zeki Efe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Christine Rummel-Kluge
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
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Ulyanina O, Gayazova L, Faizullina K, Nikiforova E, Semenova K. National and foreign experience in providing emergency psychological assistance to the population. СОВРЕМЕННАЯ ЗАРУБЕЖНАЯ ПСИХОЛОГИЯ 2022. [DOI: 10.17759/jmfp.2022110311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The article presents the foreign and national experience of providing emergency psychological assistance. The analysis of modern publications made it possible to determine the specifics of psychotraumatic situations, as well as the psychological states of victims requiring emergency psychological intervention, to formulate the principles of providing this assistance. The practice of organizing the work of specialists of emergency psychological and social services with victims, survivors of domestic violence, victims of terrorist attack and other emergencies, medical workers and volunteers providing various assistance in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia and abroad is highlighted. The article considers the system of organization of psychological assistance by specialists of psychological service in the Russian Federation. The problem of assessment of the effectiveness of psychological assistance is actualized by the example of the methodology of monitoring and assessment of actions in the area of mental health and psychosocial support in emergency situations.
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Kohls E, Guenthner L, Baldofski S, Eckert M, Efe Z, Kuehne K, Saee S, Thomas J, Wundrack R, Rummel-Kluge C. Suicidal Ideation Among Children and Young Adults in a 24/7 Messenger-Based Psychological Chat Counseling Service. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:862298. [PMID: 35418889 PMCID: PMC8995430 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.862298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Suicidality in children and young adults is a pervasive problem: approximately 40% of respondents in epidemiological surveys in German schools reported suicidal ideation, while up to 9% reported a suicide attempt in the past. While there is compelling evidence for the effectiveness of telephone-based hotline services, an increasing preference of adolescents for messenger-based counseling services can be observed. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the utilization behavior and user satisfaction of users contacting a German messenger-based chat counseling service ("krisenchat") regarding suicidal ideation. METHODS The present cross-sectional study analyzed retrospective anonymous data on sociodemographic variables, utilization behavior, and user satisfaction of krisenchat users who used the service between May 2020 and July 2021. Chi-square-tests were used to identify associations of sociodemographic characteristics and utilization behavior with suicidal ideation. Mann-Whitney-U-tests were used to compare the user satisfaction and the recommendation-to-others-rate between suicidal and non-suicidal krisenchat-users. RESULTS In total, chat data of N = 11,031 users were collected. Of the n = 6,962 users included in the final analysis, n = 1,444 (20.7%) contacted krisenchat because of suicidal ideation. The average user experiencing suicidal ideation was 17 years old, female and currently not receiving other treatment. Further, suicidal ideation was significantly and positively associated with age and non-suicidal self-injury. Regarding utilization patterns, there were significant positive associations between suicidal ideation and counseling session count, mean amount of messages sent, and mean amount of words used per message by the user. User satisfaction was high, with 64.7% (n = 413) of users that answered the feedback survey and experiencing suicidal ideation rating the help they received as at least "good" and a recommendation rate of 89.6% (n = 571). Most importantly, no differences were found between users reporting suicidal ideation and those that do not regarding satisfaction and the probability of recommending the service. CONCLUSION Results imply satisfaction with the counseling service among users with suicidal ideation. Nevertheless, there is a need for further research into messenger-based counseling services regarding the prevention of suicidal behavior in children, youths, and young adults. Longitudinal studies are especially needed to assess the effectiveness of messenger-based interventions. STUDY REGISTRATION DRKS00026671.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Kohls
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lukas Guenthner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sabrina Baldofski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Zeki Efe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katharina Kuehne
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | - Richard Wundrack
- krisenchat gGmbH, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Chair of Personality Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christine Rummel-Kluge
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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