Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36618717›Full record

ArticleGlobal mental health (Cambridge, England)2022

Mobilizing digital technology to implement a population-based psychological support response during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lima, Peru.

Janeth Santa-Cruz, Leydi Moran, Marco Tovar, Jesus Peinado, Yuri Cutipe, Lourdes Ramos, Aldo Astupillo, Melanie Rosler, Giuseppe Raviola, Leonid Lecca and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Global mental health (Cambridge, England), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
2.7field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Building EVA (Journal of medical Internet research · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Janeth Santa-CruzSocios En Salud, Lima, Peru.
Leydi MoranSocios En Salud, Lima, Peru.
Marco TovarSocios En Salud, Lima, Peru.
Jesus PeinadoSocios En Salud, Lima, Peru.
Yuri CutipeMinistry of Health, Lima, Peru.
Lourdes RamosSocios En Salud, Lima, Peru.
Aldo AstupilloSocios En Salud, Lima, Peru.
Melanie RoslerUniversity of Southern Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Giuseppe RaviolaPartners In Health, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3379-0371
Leonid LeccaSocios En Salud, Lima, Peru.
Stephanie L SmithPartners In Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Carmen ContrerasSocios En Salud, Lima, Peru.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6184-3819
EsSALUD · PEPartners In Health · USBrigham and Women's Hospital · USHarvard University · USMinistry of Health · PEPeruvian University of Applied Sciences · PEUniversity of South Florida · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused considerable burden on mental health worldwide. To address this emergency in Peru, Socios en Salud (SES) implemented an innovative digital system for the diagnosis and psychological therapy in vulnerable populations. We describe the development, implementation, and participant outcomes of this intervention. Methods: We conducted an intervention in a general population of Lima, Peru using a digital tool, ChatBot-Juntos, incorporating the abbreviated Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) to screen psychological distress. Participants positive for psychological distress received remote Psychological First Aid (PFA) and grief therapy if needed. Participants with a mental health condition or safety concern were referred to mental health services. SRQ scores were collected 3 months after PFA sessions. Differences between screening and follow-up scores were compared using Wilcoxon sign-rank test. Results: In total, 2027 people were screened; 1581 (77.9%) screened positive for psychological distress. Nine hundred ninety-seven (63%) people with psychological distress received PFA, and 320 (32.1%) of those were also referred for mental health care. At 3 months after follow-up, SRQ scores were collected for 579 (58%) participants. Significant reduction in SRQ scores was observed 3 months after PFA [median SRQ score changed from 9 to 5 ( Conclusion: Digital technology can be used to screen for psychological distress and deliver mental health support for populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. More research is needed to determine whether technology contributes to improved mental health outcomes.

Indexed as

COVID-19digital chatbotmental healthPeruPsychological First Aid

Identifiers

PMID36618717
PMCPMC9807001
OpenAlexW4288084929

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.