A help-line for children. Seasonal variations in issues.
The objectives of the study were to describe monthly variations in issues in calls to a help-line for children and adolescents. All 80,983 calls to a Red Cross Help-Line for children in 1991-1997 were included. In 22,698 calls, information about age, sex or issue could be identified. A monthly variation in frequency of calls with peaks in April and November and a correlation with the absolute values of monthly changes in length of day were found. Conversations concerning psychiatric suffering were more frequent in January or February and less frequent than expected in May/June and December. Conversations about sexuality correlated with the frequencies of births in the adult population 9 months later. A spring and fall peak in total calling and a winter peak in calls for depression, anxiety, pain and neglect were described.
Østmarka Psychiatric Department, St. Olavs Hospital, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Box 3008 Lade, N-7441 Trondheim, Norway. Gunnar.Morken@medisin.ntnu.no
Gunnar
G
Morken
Anne Mari
AM
Sund
Olav M
OM
Linaker
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001683:Biological Clocks; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015277:Hotlines / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D012011:Red Cross; D016574:Seasonal Affective Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012621:Seasons; D012731:Sex Counseling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014600:Utilization Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data