目的:為因應突發事件,像是:新型冠狀病毒肺炎(coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19)疫情大流行,以及在日常生活中,特別是在鄉村或偏遠地區,心理健康服務的需求,使用通訊心理健康服務不失為一解決方式。瞭解通訊心理健康服務在COVID-19疫情大流行前的使用狀況,將有助於判斷此解決方式的可行性。方法:本研究回顧了在此大流行之前,透過通訊科技來針對兒童和青少年之心理健康進行衡鑑和治療之文獻,並針對所回顧之研究,是否能提供足夠證據來支持臨床實務之使用進行評論。結果:大多數研究聚焦於治療,而非衡鑑。在衡鑑上,主要侷限在自閉症類群障礙症之診斷,及注意力不足/過動症和抽動障礙症之症狀評估。在治療上,仍以前兩者的治療研究居多,其他障礙症之治療研究則較少。不論是衡鑑或治療之成效研究,樣本數皆較小、隨機對照試驗研究雖有,但數量不多,且缺乏以亞洲樣本進行研究。結論:目前結果僅提供透過通訊科技來針對兒童和青少年之心理健康在衡鑑和治療使用上的初步支持證據。未來需增加臨床樣本數、以較多亞洲兒童和青少年為樣本,及更多隨機對照試驗研究來複製先前研究,以檢驗衡鑑和治療上的臨床有效性。未來研究亦需進一步探討以通訊科技提供衡鑑和治療,對於特定的兒童和青少年是否更適合,及是否需要調整和改善。
Objectives: The use of telecommunication technologies to provide the need for mental health services in response to emergencies, such as the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and in daily life, particularly in rural or remote areas, can be one of the solutions. Understanding the use of telecommunication technologies in providing mental health services before the COVID-19 pandemic will help judge the feasibility of this solution. Methods: This study aimed to review the literature on the assessment and treatment of mental health in children and adolescents through telecommunication technologies before the COVID-19 pandemic. Commentary focusing on whether the evidence from the reviewed studies is sufficient to inform practice is offered at the end of the article. Results: This literature review found that most studies focused on delivering treatment rather than assessment. In terms of assessment, it is limited to diagnosing autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and assessing the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and tic disorders (TDs). The majority of treatment studies are still related to ASD and ADHD and less on the treatment of other psychological disorders. Regardless of whether they are the outcome studies for either assessment or treatment, their sample sizes are small, and few are randomized controlled trial studies. Most studies were conducted in the United States, not in Asia. Conclusions: The research outcomes only provide preliminary evidence to support telecommunication technologies in assessing and treating mental health problems in children and adolescents. In the future, it is important to replicate the previous studies with larger clinical sample sizes, more Asian children and adolescent samples, and more randomized controlled trial studies to examine the clinical effectiveness of assessment and treatment. Future studies should further explore whether telecommunication technologies are more suitable and need adjustments and improvements before applying them to specific groups of children and adolescents to deliver assessment or/and treatment.