Evaluating the Experience of Teen-to-Teen Crisis Line Volunteers: A Pilot Study.

Teen-to-teen (t2t) crisis lines are a special type of crisis service where youth volunteers help their peers. Although prior research has examined the experience of adult crisis line responders, no research has examined the experience of adolescents who do this work. In collaboration with two of the largest t2t lines in the U.S., this pilot study is the first examination of t2t crisis line work. Volunteers (ages 14-20) reported: their primary motivation for joining the crisis lines was to help others and give back to the community; responding to a range of peers' problems on the t2t crisis line, including high-risk suicide contacts; and a range of ways the crisis line work impacted their lives. Findings provide preliminary information about the experience of adolescents engaging in t2t crisis line work. Additional research is needed in larger and more diverse samples to understand the impact of crisis line work for youth.

Trends in the utilization of a peer-supported youth hotline.

BACKGROUND: Peer-supported youth hotlines have been in operation for many years but studies on the acceptance of this hotline model or on the demographics of the callers are lacking. This study was performed to examine the utilization of a metropolitan peer-supported youth hotline between 2010 and 2016. METHOD: The change in demographics, contact channels, and the reasons for contact were analyzed with standard linear regression analysis in 67,478 contacts over 7 years. RESULTS: The data revealed a significant increase in hotline utilization from 8008 annual contacts in 2010 to 12,409 contacts in 2016 (p = .03). The majority of contacts were made by 15-year-old and 16-year-old girls, but contacts by children aged 13 years old and younger have also increased significantly over the years (p = .003). In 2016, anxiety and stress were among the leading reasons for contact (20.14%), followed by sadness and depression (17.21%), suicidal ideation (14.18%), and self-harm (8.15%). Recommendations for follow-up with outside mental health resources were made in 56.22% of contacts. More than 60% of contacts had found information about the hotline on the Internet. More than 30% used text messaging to reach out to the hotline. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that adolescents increasingly utilize a peer-supported youth hotline to get help for mental health concerns. Therefore, it should be explored whether this hotline model could also be used for prevention and early intervention. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Peer-supported youth hotlines are well accepted and frequently utilized by adolescents to get help for mental health issues. Our data indicate that peer-supported youth hotlines could be utilized to identify youth at risk for depression and suicide. Further research should evaluate whether peer-supported youth hotlines could serve in the prevention and in early mental health intervention, and how they could be effectively linked to other mental health resources in the community.