Telephone Emergency Service 142 (“TelefonSeelsorge”) during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research project aims to examine the mental well-being and perceived stress level of counsellors as well as the main topics of helpline callers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria. In the current study, 374 counsellors were recruited within the Austrian nationwide organization “TelefonSeelsorge” during the second wave of COVID-19 infections in Austria. Telephone emergency services play an important role in providing low-threshold, anonymous crisis intervention free of charge. More calls were registered in 2020 compared to 2019. In particular, the topics of loneliness, mental health, professional activities and relationships were reported to be thematized more often during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-COVID-19 records.