Effectiveness of Regional Language Helplines in Mental Health Support Services

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.63345/ijrsml.v13.i9.3

Prof.(Dr) Avneesh Kumar

Galgotias University

Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh 203201 India

Abstract

This manuscript investigates the effectiveness of regional language helplines in delivering mental health support services. With an increasing recognition of linguistic and cultural barriers to mental health care in multilingual societies, telephone-based helplines operating in local languages have emerged as a potentially vital resource. Through a randomized controlled clinical trial involving 1,200 distressed callers across three states in India—Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and West Bengal—this study assesses outcomes in psychological distress reduction, service satisfaction, and referral follow‑through rates. Participants were randomly assigned to either a regional‑language helpline intervention group or a standard English‑language helpline control group. Over eight weeks, measures including the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8), and referral uptake logs were collected. The regional‑language group demonstrated significantly greater reductions in distress (mean ΔK10 = –7.2 vs. –4.3, p < 0.001), higher satisfaction scores (CSQ-8 mean = 27.5 vs. 22.1, p < 0.001), and improved follow‑through on professional referrals (68% vs. 43%, p < 0.01). Qualitative feedback highlighted enhanced rapport, perceived empathy, and cultural congruence as key drivers of effectiveness. These findings underscore the critical role of linguistic accessibility in helpline services and suggest policy implications for scaling up regional‑language mental health support.

Keywords

Regional‑language helpline, mental health, linguistic accessibility, clinical trial, telephone counseling

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