Abstract
The pattern of calls to an after-hours crisis telephone service for Vietnam veterans was surveyed over a 9-week period. Not including prank and administrative calls, 274 calls were made to the service. Domestic conflict, substance abuse, traumatic memories, depression, and anger at government represented the major problems requiring counselling. Crisis intervention was required for 18% of calls because of suicide threats or threatened violence to others. The survey findings indicate that telephone counselling can be an appropriate means to provide support for many veterans who may avoid conventional counselling agencies.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Auerbach, S. M., & Kilmann, P. R. (1977). Crisis intervention: A review of outcome research. Psychological Bulletin, 84, 1189–1217.
Baron, A., Klein, R. L., & Thurman, C. W. (1980). Student use of a university telephone counselling service: A three-year overview. Crisis Intervention, 11, 54–59.
Bryant, R. A., & Harvey, A. G. (1995). Psychological impairment following motor vehicle accidents. Australian Journal of Public Health, 19, 185–188.
Figley, C. R. (1994). Systemic post-traumatic stress disorder: Family treatment experiences and implications. In G. Everly & J. Lating (Eds.) Post-traumatic stress. New York: Plenum Press.
Friedman, M. J., & Rosenheck, R. A. (in press). PTSD as a persistent mental illness. In S. Soreff (Ed.) The seriously and persistently mentally ill: The state-of-the-art treatment handbook. Seattle: Hogrefe & Huber.
Hennessy, B., & Oei, T. (1991). The relationship between severity of combat exposure and army status on posttraumatic stress disorder among Australian Vietnam war veterans. Behaviour Change, 8, 134–144.
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Community Affairs (1988). After the March Report: Strengthening support for the veterans. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
Iscoe, I., Hill, F. E., Harmon, M., & Coffman, D. (1979). Telephone counselling via cassette tapes. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 26, 166–168.
Kulka, R. A., Schlenger, W. E., Fairbank, J. A., Hough, R. L., Jordan, B. K., Marmar, C. R., & Weiss, D. S. (1990). Trauma and the Vietnam war generation: Report of findings from the National Veterans Readjustment Study. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
McCord, J. B., & Packwood, W. T. (1973). Crisis centers and hotlines: A survey. Personnel and Guidance Journal, 49, 723–728.
McShane, D. (1983). A transactional view of crisis and noncrisis call patterns: Experimental results, Part II. Crisis Intervention, 12, 89–98.
Rosenbaum, A., & Calhoun, J. F. (1977). The use of the telephone hotline in crisis intervention: A review. Journal of Community Psychology, 12, 325–339.
Schwarz, E. D., Kowalski, J. M., & McNally, R. J. (1993). Malignant memories: Post-traumatic changes in memory in adults after a school shooting. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 6, 545–553.
Stewart, A. M., & Glenwick, D. S. (1992). Patterns of usage of a university-based, peer-operated hotline. Journal of College Student Development, 33, 547–553.
Streimer, J. H., Cosstick, J., & Tennant, C. (1985). The psychosocial adjustment of Australian Vietnam veterans. American Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 616–618.
Wise, P. S., & Kilberg, D. (1983). “You rang?”: A longitudinal, descriptive study of an on-campus hotline service. Crisis Intervention, 12, 99–110.
Young, M. A., Fogg, L. E., Schefner, W. A., & Fawcett, J. A. (1994). Interactions in risk factors in predicting suicide. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 434–435.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Bryant, R.A. An Analysis of Calls to a Vietnam Veterans' Telephone Counselling Service. J Trauma Stress 11, 589–596 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024417031977
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024417031977