ERIC Number: EJ839709
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jun
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9630
EISSN: N/A
Children's Experiences with Chat Support and Telephone Support
Fukkink, Ruben G.; Hermanns, Jo M. A.
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, v50 n6 p759-766 Jun 2009
Background: In line with the wider trend of offering support via the Internet, many counseling and referral services for children have introduced online chat, often in addition to a traditional telephone service. Methods: A comparative study was conducted between the telephone service and the confidential one-on-one online chat service of the Dutch Kindertelefoon. The design included a concise pretest and a posttest (n = 902). The study also comprised a follow-up test (n = 213), which included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results: Children experienced a higher sense of well-being and a reduced severity of their problems after consulting the Kindertelefoon. The results were slightly more favorable for the chat service than for the telephone service. The follow-up survey showed that many of the children who contact the Kindertelefoon suffer from relatively severe emotional problems. Conclusions: Both the telephone and the web-based support improved the children's well-being and decreased their perceived burden of problem. The results of this study underline the need for closer cooperation between child helplines and mental health and child welfare services.
Descriptors: Emotional Problems, Computer Mediated Communication, Child Welfare, Internet, Referral, Counseling Services, Comparative Analysis, Foreign Countries, Pretests Posttests, Questionnaires, Telecommunications, Help Seeking, Counseling Effectiveness, Children
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Netherlands
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A