Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India.
Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India.
Asian J Psychiatr. 2014 Oct;11:59-64. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2014.06.008. Epub 2014 Jun 19.
The current study assesses the acceptability and feasibility of mobile text messages for promoting positive mental health and as a helpline among young women in urban slums of Bangalore.
Forty girls in the age range of 16-18 years from urban slums received messages every day for a month. They could call or message back or give a 'missed call' to the same number whenever they had emotional problems or felt like talking to a counselor. The received responses in the form of return texts, missed calls and return phone calls were recorded. Feedback about the feasibility and acceptability of the mobile messages was collected after a month.
25 out of 40 (62.5%) participants called back, asking for mental health services and to say they felt good about the messages. 23 of 40 (57.5%) messaged back regarding their feelings. 62% reported that they felt supported with the mental health messages. Male family members of nearly half of the participants called back to check the authenticity of the source. Most women did not face any problems because of the messages.
This pilot qualitative study indicates that mobile text messages are a feasible and culturally acceptable method for mental health promotion and prevention among young women from urban slums in India. Issues such as consent from the woman and family, ensuring confidentiality and providing authentic and reliable support services, need to be taken into account before attempting to scale up such a service, particularly in vulnerable groups.
本研究评估了通过手机短信促进年轻女性心理健康的可接受性和可行性，以及作为班加罗尔城市贫民窟的求助热线。
40 名年龄在 16-18 岁的城市贫民窟女孩在一个月内每天都收到短信。当她们有情绪问题或想与顾问交谈时，她们可以随时拨打或短信回复，或向同一号码拨打“未接来电”。记录收到的以回复短信、未接来电和回电形式的回复。一个月后收集有关手机短信的可行性和可接受性的反馈。
40 名参与者中有 25 名（62.5%）回电，要求提供心理健康服务，并表示对短信感到满意。40 名参与者中有 23 名（57.5%）就他们的感受回复了短信。62%的人报告说，他们对心理健康短信感到支持。近一半参与者的男性家庭成员回电以核实消息来源的真实性。大多数女性没有因为这些信息而遇到任何问题。
这项试点定性研究表明，手机短信是印度城市贫民窟年轻女性心理健康促进和预防的一种可行且文化上可接受的方法。在尝试扩大此类服务之前，需要考虑到妇女和家庭的同意、确保保密性以及提供真实可靠的支持服务等问题，特别是在弱势群体中。
