Changes in Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Levels of Subscribers to a Daily Supportive Text Message Program (Text4Hope) During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

• DOI: 10.2196/22423
• Publication Date: 2020-11-30T15:24:53Z
• Authors: Vincent Israel Ou...; Marianne Hrabok; Wesley Vuong; Reham Shalaby; Jasmine Marie Noble; April Gusnowski; Kelly J Mrklas; Daniel Li; Liana Urichuk; Mark Snaterse; Shireen Surood; Bo Cao; Xin-Min Li; Russell Greiner; Andrew James Gree...
• Keywords: Patient Health Questionnaire; Perceived Stress Scale; Depression; Cross-sectional study; Distancing

Background In addition to the obvious physical medical impact of COVID-19, disease poses evident threats people’s mental health, psychological safety, and well-being. Provision support for these challenges is complicated by high number people requiring need maintain distancing. Text4Hope, a daily supportive SMS text messaging program, was launched in Canada mitigate negative health impacts pandemic among Canadians. Objective This paper describes changes stress, anxiety, depression levels subscribers Text4Hope program after 6 weeks exposure messages. Methods We used self-administered, empirically supported web-based questionnaires assess demographic clinical characteristics subscribers. Perceived were measured with 10-Item Stress Scale (PSS-10), Generalized Anxiety Disorder–7 (GAD-7) scale, Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9) scale at baseline sixth week time points. Moderate or perceived likely generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder assessed using cutoff scores ≥14 PSS-10, ≥10 GAD-7, PHQ-9, respectively. At into 766 participants had completed both Results 6-week point, there statistically significant reductions mean on PSS-10 GAD-7 scales but not PHQ-9 scale. Effect sizes small overall. There prevalence rates moderate stress group that assessments. The largest (18.7% 13.5%, respectively). Conclusions convenient, cost-effective, accessible means implementing population-level intervention. service demonstrated during COVID-19 could be as intervention natural disasters other emergencies. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.2196/19292