Journal
SUICIDE AND LIFE-THREATENING BEHAVIOR
Volume 52, Issue 3, Pages 567-582Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12872
Keywords
crisis text line; demographics; mental health; suicide prevention; texter survey
Categories
Funding
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention [SRG--0--110--15]
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health [T32ES007271]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study reveals that Crisis Text Line (CTL) predominantly serves a young and distressed population, with majority being female and identifying as non-heterosexual. A significant proportion of users exhibit symptoms of depression and anxiety, with a substantial number relying solely on CTL for help.
Objective Text-based crisis services are increasingly prominent, with inclusion in the national 988 crisis number launching in 2022. Yet little is known about who uses them. This study seeks to understand the population served by Crisis Text Line (CTL), the largest crisis text service in the United States. Methods Secondary data analysis was conducted on de-identified Crisis Counselor reports, texter post-conversation survey responses, and anonymized text conversation data from 85,877 texters who contacted CTL during a 12-month period. We examined Crisis Counselor's ratings of suicide ideation severity, texters' reports of race, gender, sexual orientation, recent mental health symptoms, and additional sources of help, and logs of frequency of contact. Results 76% of texters were under 25. 79% were female. 48% identified as other than heterosexual/straight. 64% had only one conversation. 79% were above the clinical cutoff for depression and 80% for anxiety, while 23% had thoughts of suicide. 23% received help from a doctor or therapist, and 28% received help only from CTL. Conclusions CTL reaches a highly distressed, young, mostly female population, including typically underserved minorities and a substantial percentage of individuals who do not receive help elsewhere. These findings support the decision to include texting in the forthcoming national 988 implementation.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available