Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jun 10, 2022
Date Accepted: Oct 3, 2022
Date Submitted to PubMed: Oct 11, 2022
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Call Helpline Use During Pandemic-related Stress: A Correlational Study Using Wastewater Analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused nearly one million deaths in the United States, not to mention job losses, business and school closures, stay-at-home orders, and mask mandates. Many people have suffered increased anxiety and depression since the pandemic began. Not only have mental health symptoms become more prevalent, but alcohol consumption has also increased during this time.
Objective:
The current study investigates the use of a call helpline as a coping mechanism in relation to the number of COVID-19 cases from September 29 to December 4, 2020, in a Midwestern state.
Methods:
Calls made to the helpline regarding housing, healthcare, and mental health/ substance use were correlated with ethanol metabolites analyzed from wastewater collected twice weekly, as well as the number of COVID-19 cases during the sampling period.
Results:
Correlations were observed between COVID-19 cases and helpline calls regarding housing and healthcare needs. No correlation was observed between the number of COVID-19 cases and mental health/ substance use calls. Covid-19 cases on Tuesdays were correlated with alcohol metabolite ethyl glucuronide. Finally, ethyl glucuronide levels were negatively associated with mental health/ substance use helpline calls.
Conclusions:
While helpline calls provided critical services for healthcare and housing-related concerns early in the pandemic, evidence suggests it may be less utilized for mental health/ substance use-related concerns. Promoting resources like the helpline to encourage positive coping strategies may help alleviate stressors associated with the pandemic.
Citation
