Use of Kids Helpline by Children and Young People in Australia During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Purpose: The benefits of helplines are particularly valuable during a pandemic when face-to-face services and natural supports are difficult to access. Kids Helpline, Australia's national youth helpline, provides children and young people with free 24/7 information and counseling through telephone, WebChat, and e-mail. We aimed to examine the use of Kids Helpline during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We analyzed monthly and weekly time trends of demand for and response by the Kids Helpline. The frequency of counseling contacts by common concern types, age, and gender were also examined. We used Joinpoint regression.

Results: Analyses of weekly demand for Kids Helpline showed an increase when the pandemic was declared, followed by a gradual decline. A second rise from 12 July 2020 when parts of Australia experienced a second wave of infections, followed by another decline, occurred more recently. Increased demand was almost entirely in the WebChat modality. Most answered counseling contacts were from girls and those aged 13-18 years. The number of contacts about mental health, suicide/self-harm, and family relationships increased, with mental health contacts also increasing as a proportion of total contacts. COVID-19-related concerns were the most common reason for contact in April 2020.

Conclusions: In Australia, the COVID-19 pandemic saw a rapid increase in demand for Kids Helpline, mainly by WebChat, with the virus itself, mental health, suicide/self-harm, and relationships common reasons for contact. Responding to rapid changes in demand for particular modalities is challenging and understanding of the use and effectiveness of different modalities is needed.

Keywords: COVID-19; Children; Helpline; Mental health; Young people.