Mental health outreach via supportive text messages during the covid-19 pandemic: Improved mental health and reduced suicidal ideation after six weeks in subscribers of text4hope compared to a control population

Vincent I.O. Agyapong, Reham Shalaby, Marianne Hrabok, Wesley Vuong, Jasmine M. Noble, April Gusnowski, Kelly Mrklas, Daniel Li, Mark Snaterse, Shireen Surood, Bo Cao, Xin Min Li, Russell Greiner, Andrew J. Greenshaw

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

43 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: In March 2020, Alberta Health Services launched Text4Hope, a free mental health text-message service. The service aimed to alleviate pandemic-associated stress, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and suicidal propensity. The effectiveness of Text4Hope was evaluated by comparing psychiatric parameters between two subscriber groups. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study with two arms: Text4Hope subscribers who received daily texts for six weeks, the intervention group (IG); and new Text4Hope subscribers who were yet to receive messages, the control group (CG). Logistic regression models were used in the analysis. Results: Participants in the IG had lower prevalence rates for moderate/high stress (78.8% vs. 88.0%), likely GAD (31.4% vs. 46.5%), and likely MDD (36.8% vs. 52.1%), respectively, compared to respondents in the CG. After controlling for demographic variables, the IG remained less likely to self-report symptoms of moderate/high stress (OR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.41–0.75), likely GAD (OR = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.44–0.68), and likely MDD (OR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.47–0.73). The mean Composite Mental Health score, the sum of mean scores on the PSS, GAD-7, and PHQ-9 was 20.9% higher in the CG. Conclusions: Text4Hope is an effective population-level intervention that helps reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar texting services should be implemented during global crises.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2157
Pages (from-to)1-13
Number of pages13
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume18
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2 2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding: This study was supported by grants from the Mental Health Foundation, the Edmonton and Calgary Community Foundations, The Edmonton Civic Employee’s Foundation, the Calgary Health Trust, the University Hospital Foundation, the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, and the Alberta Cancer Foundation. The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Pollution
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Mental health outreach via supportive text messages during the covid-19 pandemic: Improved mental health and reduced suicidal ideation after six weeks in subscribers of text4hope compared to a control population'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this