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Coping with Crisis across the Lifespan: The Role of a Telephone Hotline

Authors :
Ingram, Stephanie
Ringle, Jay L.
Hallstrom, Kristen
Source :
Journal of Child and Family Studies. Oct 2008 17(5):663-674.
Publication Year :
2008

Abstract

We describe over 300,000 crisis calls made to a large national hotline over a 5-year period. Callers consisted of males and females between the ages of 10 and 89. Overall, a slight majority of callers were first time callers (52%) and most (73%) sought assistance with issues related to parenting, youth concerns, and mental health. Across the lifespan, issues dealing with loneliness increased with age whereas depression-related calls decreased. Additionally, females were more likely than their male counterparts to call the hotline by over a 2- to 1-margin. Findings lend preliminary support to the efficacy of crisis call centers to utilize a flexible, yet well-defined problem-solving approach to assist those of all ages calling with the wide range of problems.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1062-1024
Volume :
17
Issue :
5
Database :
ERIC
Journal :
Journal of Child and Family Studies
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
EJ851965
Document Type :
Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-007-9180-z