How do young people potentially affected by child welfare endangerment use a messenger-based psychosocial chat counseling service?

INTRODUCTION

It is challenging for children and adolescents to report and seek help for child welfare endangerment. Online chat-based counseling services have emerged as viable, low-threshold options, enabling at-risk individuals to seek help digitally. Krisenchat is a confidential, 24/7 chat service designed to assist young people in acute crises.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to characterize users of krisenchat who were flagged by counselors as potentially cases of child welfare endangerment, and to differentiate them from other users of the service.

PARTICIPANTS AND

SETTING

Anonymized data were obtained from the n = 29,387 krisenchat users between January and December 2023.

METHODS

Demographic information, utilization behavior, suicidality, and use of professional help services were documented by counselors, while user satisfaction, recommendation rates, and emotional distress were assessed through voluntary surveys following consultation.

RESULTS

Overall, 10.7% of users were flagged by counselors as suspected cases of child welfare endangerment. These users were more likely to be younger (M = 14 vs. M = 17), female (84.3% vs. 76.7%), and to report sexual violence (15.6% vs. 5.5%) and suicidal behavior (10.9% vs. 4.2%) compared to those not flagged. They also reported higher emotional distress (M = 6.80 pre vs. M = 4.65 post, p < .001) than other users (M = 4.65 pre vs. M = 4.57 post, p = .550) prior to the chat.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight the potential of messenger-based platforms as tools for early detection and intervention, while underscoring the importance of trust-building to facilitate full disclosure.