Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40636866›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2025

HSN-helping in mental distress: a new emotion focused psychological first aid program.

Marina Scheele, Sandra Appel, Isabelle Rausch, Martin Schecklmann, Jakob Klein, Susanne Staudinger, Roger Schmidt, Peter M Kreuzer, Berthold Langguth

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. [Latent profile analysis of mental health literacy among nurses in tertiary general hospitals in Chongqing, China].Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2026
    Article
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

9 authors.

Marina ScheeleDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
Sandra AppelDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
Isabelle RauschStudy Center for Evangelical Youth Work Josefstal, Josefstal, Germany.
Martin SchecklmannDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
Jakob KleinDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
Susanne StaudingerDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
Roger SchmidtStudy Center for Evangelical Youth Work Josefstal, Josefstal, Germany.
Peter M KreuzerDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
Berthold LangguthDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Psychological first aid programs aim to train lay people to help others who are experiencing a mental health crisis or developing mental health problems. The current article introduces the new German psychological first aid training program HSN. The acronym HSN stands for "Helfen in Seelischer Not" (helping in mental distress) but also for the action chain "hear, speak, network." The HSN program differs from other well-examined mental health first aid programs by (1) focusing primarily on emotions instead of disorders, (2) using a blended approach, combining face-to-face and online elements right from the start of the project and (3) a low-threshold approach with a course duration of two hours. Here we specify the HSN concept and report first results from a sample of 150 students. The participating students completed a self-report questionnaire before and after the course regarding their "confidence to help." The program demonstrated good feasibility without any relevant side effects. On a descriptive level we observed an improvement of the averaged values of all questionnaire items after the course. These positive initial results merit the further development of HSN as a low-threshold psychological first aid program.

Indexed as

EmotionsFirst AidMental DisordersPsychological DistressStress, PsychologicalAdolescentAdultFemaleGermanyHumansMaleProgram EvaluationSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung Adultemotion-focused“Helfen in Seelischer Not”helping in mental distressHSNinterpersonal emotion regulationmental healthmental health educationpsychological first aid

Identifiers

PMID40636866
PMCPMC12237678

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.