Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Continuing Education Krems (Danube University Krems), Krems an der Donau, Austria.
Division of Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Front Public Health. 2024 May 15;12:1345796. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1345796. eCollection 2024.
In the recent years, the Austrian general population has faced a confluence of multiple crises. This study investigates the support wishes and mental health parameters of the Austrian general population aiming to comprehending the unmet needs and providing guidance for future psychosocial interventions and research endeavors.
1,031 participants attended the online survey and one third ( = 332) wished for further support to improve mental well-being in April 2022. A total of 280 participants accompanied their support wish with written accounts. Participants' mental health status was evaluated using the PHQ-9 (depression), GAD-7 (anxiety), ISI (insomnia), PSS-10 (perceived stress), CAGE (alcohol abuse), WHO-5 (well-being), and the SCOFF (eating disorder) questionnaires. Data analysis employed a mixed-methods approach.
The preeminent support wish identified was the need for professional mental support (29.3%), followed by communication (21.6%), other professional support except mental and medical support (13.9%). In line with these findings, participants expressing a support wish experienced increased mental health distress across all assessed parameters.
The findings indicate the presence of a vulnerable population within the Austrian general population, which may benefit from targeted support interventions. Consequently, this study contributes to the identification of unmet support needs among the Austrian populace during times of crisis, facilitating the development and enhancement of precisely tailored intervention strategies.
近年来，奥地利民众面临着多种危机的交织。本研究旨在调查奥地利民众的支持意愿和心理健康参数，以了解未满足的需求，并为未来的社会心理干预和研究工作提供指导。
2022 年 4 月，1031 名参与者参加了在线调查，其中三分之一（n=332）希望进一步改善心理健康以获得支持。共有 280 名参与者在支持意愿中附上了书面说明。参与者的心理健康状况使用 PHQ-9（抑郁）、GAD-7（焦虑）、ISI（失眠）、PSS-10（感知压力）、CAGE（酒精滥用）、WHO-5（幸福感）和 SCOFF（饮食障碍）问卷进行评估。数据分析采用混合方法。
确定的首要支持意愿是需要专业的心理支持（29.3%），其次是沟通（21.6%）和其他专业支持（除心理和医疗支持外，13.9%）。与这些发现一致，表达支持意愿的参与者在所有评估参数上都经历了更大的心理健康困扰。
这些发现表明，奥地利民众中存在一个弱势群体，他们可能受益于有针对性的支持干预。因此，本研究有助于确定奥地利民众在危机时期的未满足的支持需求，为制定和加强精确定制的干预策略做出贡献。
