Telephone-Based Mental Health Promotion for Rural Women in Brazilian Agrarian Reform Communities: Pre-Post Pilot...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mental Health Nursing
• Rural Health

Background:

• Rural women in agrarian reform communities face significant social, economic, racial, and gender vulnerabilities.
• These vulnerabilities increase the risk of physical and mental health problems.
• Telephone-based interventions show potential for mental health promotion but lack study in underserved Brazilian populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a telephone-based intervention for mental health outcomes.
• Targeted underserved women in a rural agrarian reform community in Brazil.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive, prospective pilot study with pretest/posttest design.
• Intervention involved 3 phone calls with a workbook, using cognitive behavioral and psychiatric nursing principles.
• Assessed quality of life, social support, self-efficacy, and mental disorder symptoms at baseline, 1 week, and 1 month.

Main Results:

• 23 of 31 women (74.2%) completed the intervention.
• Significant reduction in common mental disorder symptoms, especially somatic symptoms (P=.002).
• Improved perceptions of the physical domain of quality of life (P=.049).

Conclusions:

• Telephone-based intervention is feasible and promising for improving mental health in rural women.
• Supports integrating remote, low-intensity psychosocial strategies into primary care.
• Highlights the role of nurses in delivering accessible mental health promotion to vulnerable populations.