Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
María Carpallo-González1,2 , Ana M. Nuñez-Rubines3, Joaquím T. Limonero4, Pablo Fernández-Berrocal5 and Roger Muñoz-Navarro2
Background: During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the General Council of Psychology in Spain, together with the regional Official Colleges of Psychology, launched the Psychological Care Telephone Program (PCTP) to provide mental health services to the population. Method: The aim of the present study was to perform a descriptive analysis of the PCTP by analysing the data collected during the lockdown and at the 12-month follow-up, and to develop a brief protocol designed to standardise data collection procedures. Results: A total of 10,119 inbound telephone calls were made to the PCTP from March to May 2020, and 337 follow-up calls at 12 months. The most common reasons for contacting the PCTP were to consult for symptoms of anxiety (66.8%), depression (30.5%), and/or family problems (13.9%). At the 12-month follow-up, many users experienced anxiety (38%), depressive (35%), and panic (34%) symptoms. More than half of users reported using psychopharmacological medicines. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the need to offer the population telephonebased mental health consultations during times of crisis. It also shows the importance of systematising intervention and data collection procedures for future crises. We propose a data collection protocol for use with emergency telephone psychological assistance programmes.
Antecedentes: Durante el confinamiento de 2020 por la COVID-19, el Consejo General de la Psicología junto con los Colegios Oficiales de la Psicología, lanzaron el Programa Telefónico de Atención Psicológica (PCTP) para atender a la salud mental de la población. Método: El objetivo del presente estudio fue realizar análisis descriptivos del PCTP con los datos recogidos durante el confinamiento y en el seguimiento a los 12 meses, y proponer un protocolo breve para unificar la recogida de datos. Resultados: Se analizaron 10,119 llamadas telefónicas realizadas al PCTP en el confinamiento de 2020, y 337 llamadas de seguimiento a los 12 meses. Los motivos llamada más frecuentes fueron los síntomas de ansiedad (66.8%), depresión (30.5%) y/o problemas familiares (13.9%). En el seguimiento a los 12 meses, los usuarios del PCTP presentaban síntomas de ansiedad (38%), depresión (35%) y pánico (34%); más de la mitad de los usuarios informaban del consumo de psicofármacos. Conclusiones: Este estudio destaca la necesidad de ofrecer atención telefónica a la salud mental de la población y sistematizar la intervención y la recogida de datos frente a futuras crisis. Proponemos un protocolo de recogida de datos para su uso en programas de asistencia psicológica telefónica de emergencias.
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ENGLISH
https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2023.266