Text4PTSI: A Promising Supportive Text Messaging Program to Mitigate Psychological Symptoms in Public Safety Personnel

Gloria Obuobi-Donkor, Reham Shalaby, Ejemai Eboreime, Belinda Agyapong, Natalie Phung, Scarlett Eyben, Kristopher Wells, Carla Hilario, Raquel da Luz Dias, Chelsea Jones, Suzette Brémault-Phillips, Yanbo Zhang, Andrew J. Greenshaw and Vincent Israel Opoku Agyapong ()
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Gloria Obuobi-Donkor: Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Reham Shalaby: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Ejemai Eboreime: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Belinda Agyapong: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Natalie Phung: Operational Stress Injury Clinic, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4, Canada
Scarlett Eyben: Operational Stress Injury Clinic, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4, Canada
Kristopher Wells: Department of Child and Youth Care, Faculty of Health and Community Studies, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB T5J 4S2, Canada
Carla Hilario: School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
Raquel da Luz Dias: Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Chelsea Jones: Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Suzette Brémault-Phillips: Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Yanbo Zhang: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Andrew J. Greenshaw: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Vincent Israel Opoku Agyapong: Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: Background: Public safety personnel experience various mental health conditions due to their work’s complex and demanding nature. There are barriers to seeking support and treatment; hence, providing innovative and cost-effective interventions can help improve mental health symptoms in public safety personnel. Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the impact of Text4PTSI on depression, anxiety, trauma, and stress-related symptoms, and the resilience of public safety personnel after six months of providing supportive text message intervention. Methods: Public safety personnel subscribed to Text4PTSI and received daily supportive and psychoeducational SMS text messages for six months. Participants were invited to complete standardized self-rated web-based questionnaires to assess depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and resilience symptoms measured on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), respectively. The assessment of mental health conditions was conducted at baseline (enrolment) and six weeks, three months, and six months after enrollment. Results: One hundred and thirty-one subscribers participated in the Text4PTSI program, and eighteen completed both the baseline and any follow-up survey. A total of 31 participants completed the baseline survey and 107 total surveys were recorded at all follow-up time points. The baseline prevalence of psychological problems among public safety personnel were as follows: likely major depressive disorder (MDD) was 47.1%, likely generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was 37.5%, low resilience was 22.2%, and likely PTSD was 13.3%. At six months post-intervention, the prevalence of likely MDD, likely GAD, and likely PTSD among respondents reduced; however, a statistically significant reduction was reported only for likely MDD (−35.3%, X 2 (1) = 2.55, p = 0.03). There was no significant change in the prevalence of low resilience between baseline and post-intervention. There was a decrease in the mean scores on the PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-C, and the BRS from baseline to post-intervention by 25.8%, 24.7%, 9.5%, and 0.3%, respectively. However, the decrease was only statistically significant for the mean change in GAD-7 scores with a low effect size (t (15) = 2.73, p = 0.02). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest a significant reduction in the prevalence of likely MDD as well as the severity of anxiety symptoms from baseline to post-intervention for subscribers of the Text4PTSI program. Text4PTSI is a cost-effective, convenient, and easily scalable program that can augment other services for managing the mental health burdens of public safety personnel.

Keywords: Text4PTSI; text messaging; mental health; public safety personnel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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