Examining the Experience of Teen-to-Teen Crisis Line Work for Adolescent Volunteers: A Pilot Study

Presenter and Co-Authors

Taylor Kalgren BS, Old Dominion UniversityFollow
Catherine R. Glenn PhD, Old Dominion UniveristyFollow
Raksha Kandlur MS, Old Dominion UniversityFollow
Kelsie Allison MS, Old Dominion UniversityFollow
Annie Duan BS, University of Rochester
Cheryl Karp, Teen LineFollow
Morgan Leets, YouthLineFollow
Sandipan Dutta PhD, Old Dominion UniversityFollow
Madelyn Gould PhD, MPH, Columbia UniversityFollow

ORCID

0000-0001-8594-7735 (Kalgren)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Graduate Level

Master’s

Publication Date

2023

DOI

10.25883/k5v1-6v82

Abstract

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are high and increasing among youth. Crisis lines are one of the oldest downstream approaches for suicide prevention, which have demonstrated effectiveness for adults and preliminary effectiveness for youth. Teen-to-teen (t2t) crisis lines are a unique resource where adolescent volunteers help their similarly aged peers (through texts, chats, calls, and emails). However, no research to date has examined the impacts of t2t crisis line volunteering on the youth. The goal of this pilot study is to begin to evaluate the experience of t2t crisis lines for the youth volunteers. Adolescent (n=20, ages 15-20) volunteers were recruited from two of the largest crisis lines in the U.S. – Teen Line and YouthLine. Enrolled volunteers were administered surveys assessing positive/helpful experiences, negative/unhelpful experiences, and motivations for joining the t2t crisis line. Volunteers were assessed up to five times over the course of one year; once at baseline and then every three months for up to one year (baseline, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 9-month follow-up, 12-month/1-year follow-up). Direct content analysis was used to examine the experiences and motivations of volunteering on the crisis line. Preliminary results indicate that all volunteers reported some positive aspects of the t2t line experience, and many reported some negative aspects as well.

Keywords

Crisis lines, Youth, Suicide prevention

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology | Mental and Social Health

Files

Recommended Citation

Kalgren, Taylor BS; Glenn, Catherine R. PhD; Kandlur, Raksha MS; Allison, Kelsie MS; Duan, Annie BS; Karp, Cheryl; Leets, Morgan; Dutta, Sandipan PhD; and Gould, Madelyn PhD, MPH, "Examining the Experience of Teen-to-Teen Crisis Line Work for Adolescent Volunteers: A Pilot Study" (2023). College of Sciences Posters. 8.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2023_sciences/8