Tele-counseling based on motivational interviewing to change sexual behavior of women living with HIV: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Sexual transmission accounts for the majority of new HIV infections in Iran. More than 80% of HIV-positive persons are sexually active, and nearly 68% reported never using a condom. The present RCT study was conducted on a group of HIV-positive women using internet-based motivational interviewing. The participants, including 100 HIV-positive women, were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. The intervention group received five weekly internet-based group motivational interviewing sessions focused on reducing risky behaviors, and the control group received routine care. Follow-ups occurred one month and three months after the end of the intervention. The participants completed demographic information, sexual behaviors, HIV knowledge, condom negotiation skills, and HIV-specific perceived social support scales before, one month, and three months after the intervention. Motivational interviewing was effective in improving knowledge about HIV/AIDS, condom negotiation skills, and HIV-specific perceived social support in the intervention group compared to controls. The intervention significantly increased using condoms in vaginal or anal intercourse in the last three months. Still, it was not effective at consistent condom use in all vaginal and anal sex. Further investigation or a larger RCT needs to confirm the using tele-counseling for women living with HIV.

Tele-psychotherapy for individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder during the COVID-19 outbreak: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: One way of delivering psychological services is tele-psychotherapy, which has attracted significant attention as a viable approach. This study aimed to identify important variables in the application of tele-counseling and psychotherapy for the treatment of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in Isfahan, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research employed an exploratory qualitative methodology. The participants of this study consisted of all the clients with OCD and all the psychotherapists in the city of Isfahan. Purposive sampling was employed, and following a series of semi-structured interviews with 35 individuals with OCD and 11 counselors in this area, the sample size reached a saturation point. The data was analyzed by Braun and Clark's thematic analysis method. RESULTS: Based on the findings of Braun and Clark's analysis, three primary themes emerged concerning tele-counseling: opportunities, requirements, and challenges. CONCLUSION: According to the feedback received from therapists and clients, remote services could offer promising prospects to both groups by providing accessible locations and flexible time management. However, to get the full benefits of teletherapy, therapists should consider certain factors to enhance the therapeutic alliance. Moreover, there are challenges that need to be addressed.

Investigating the effectiveness of tele-counseling for the mental health of staff in hospitals and COVID-19 clinics: a clinical control trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of tele-counseling for the mental health of staff working in hospitals and reference clinics during the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: In the first stage of the study, using a convenience sampling strategy, 313 staff members working at Iran's hospitals and COVID-19 clinics answered a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Short Health Anxiety Inventory online. In a second stage, 95 staff members who were willing to participate in the intervention were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 51) or control (n = 44) groups. The intervention consisted of seven intensive tele-counseling sessions. RESULTS: In the first stage, the percentages of anxiety and depression related to coronavirus were 79.2% and 82.1% and the mean health anxiety score was 17.42. In the intervention phase, anxiety related to coronavirus and to perceived risk of illness (likelihood of illness) were significantly lower in the intervention group in comparison with the control group (p = 0.001). Depression related to coronavirus and anxiety related to the negative consequences of infection were non-significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group (p = 0.08 and 0.12; respectively). CONCLUSION: Continuous monitoring of the negative psychological impacts on medical staff of outbreaks as well as implementation of appropriate interventions to respond to them should be emphasized in order to improve staff mental health.

COVID-19-related issues on tele-counseling helpline in Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a brief description of COVID-19-related issues presented by callers to a tele-counseling helpline in Bangladesh. METHOD: Counselors who receive calls write brief descriptions of each call. These descriptions were coded and analyzed. RESULTS: Eighty-six percent of callers displayed anxiety and/or sleeplessness; these callers also displayed a range of issues including family/interpersonal problems, financial difficulties, physical health concerns, mental illness, and difficulty managing quarantine. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate the mental health challenges faced in Bangladesh due to lockdown and can inform future interventions.

A Pilot Nurse-Led Tele-Counseling Intervention to Parents of Children With Cerebral Visual Impairment on Adherence to Eye Activities During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pre-experimental Study.

AIM: To assess the impact of a culturally appropriate and theoretically driven nurse-led tele-counseling intervention to parents of children with cerebral visual impairment (CVI) on the adherence to visual therapy advised by the ophthalmologists. DESIGN: A pre-experimental design was used. METHODS: Parents of children with CVI aged 2-9 years were enroled telephonically during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic through the Pediatric Ophthalmology Clinic of a tertiary eye care center. Pre-assessment of participants was done telephonically as per the interview schedule. As per the protocol, the trained nurse-delivered tele-counseling intervention two times weekly for the first 2 weeks and weekly for the next 2 weeks via audio and video two-way tele-interaction with parents. A CVI information booklet was shared with parents via WhatsApp interface and individualized visual therapy was reinforced in accordance with the advice of the treating ophthalmologist. It was based on a thorough review of clinical records of the child, such as a detailed CVI questionnaire, history, and findings of clinical examination and neuro-visual behavior of a child. In addition, parents were encouraged to maintain a diary of the daily sessions of visual therapy and share recorded videos of their training exercises which were then evaluated and discussed with the ophthalmologist for any deviation. Outcome measures included adherence to eye activities for 7-8 sessions per day. Data were analyzed by using SPSS statistics for windows, version 20. RESULTS: Overall, improvement of adherence to visual therapy was observed among children with CVI (p < 0.0001). Nearly half (47.6%) of participants adhered to 3-4 sessions/day and only 28.6% were adherent to the recommended 7-8 sessions/day. CONCLUSION: The pilot study demonstrated the potential of the nurse-led tele-counseling intervention to supplement the ongoing health treatment of patients in improving the adherence to eye activities among parents of children with CVI.

Investigating the effectiveness of tele-counseling for the mental health of staff in hospitals and COVID-19 clinics: a clinical control trial

Abstract Objective To investigate the effectiveness of tele-counseling for the mental health of staff working in hospitals and reference clinics during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods In the first stage of the study, using a convenience sampling strategy, 313 staff members working at Iran's hospitals and COVID-19 clinics answered a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Short Health Anxiety Inventory online. In a second stage, 95 staff members who were willing to participate in the intervention were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 51) or control (n = 44) groups. The intervention consisted of seven intensive tele-counseling sessions. Results In the first stage, the percentages of anxiety and depression related to coronavirus were 79.2% and 82.1% and the mean health anxiety score was 17.42. In the intervention phase, anxiety related to coronavirus and to perceived risk of illness (likelihood of illness) were significantly lower in the intervention group in comparison with the control group (p = 0.001). Depression related to coronavirus and anxiety related to the negative consequences of infection were non-significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group (p = 0.08 and 0.12; respectively). Conclusion Continuous monitoring of the negative psychological impacts on medical staff of outbreaks as well as implementation of appropriate interventions to respond to them should be emphasized in order to improve staff mental health. Clinical trial registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials, IRCT20170611034452N11.