What is it about?
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, mental health providers around the world had to quickly stop meeting families in person and switch to online services. This study looks at how mental health professionals in Brazil and Mexico experienced that transition while delivering parenting interventions. We surveyed over 100 providers, including psychologists and social workers, to understand how they adapted their work to telehealth, what challenges they faced, and how acceptable and practical online parenting support felt to them. Providers shared concerns about technology, privacy, balancing work and home responsibilities, and the strain the pandemic placed on their own well-being. At the same time, many reported that telehealth allowed them to continue supporting families during a time of crisis and, in some cases, reach families who might otherwise not have accessed services.
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Why is it important?
Most research on telehealth during COVID-19 has focused on high-income countries and on families’ experiences rather than providers’ perspectives. This study is important because it centers the voices of providers working in Latin American contexts, where social, economic, and digital inequalities shaped how telehealth could be used. By comparing Brazil and Mexico, the study highlights both shared challenges and country-specific differences in technology access, economic impact, and feasibility of online care. These findings can inform how parenting interventions are adapted for telehealth, how providers are trained and supported, and how policies can reduce digital barriers for families. The results are especially relevant as telehealth continues beyond the pandemic and becomes a permanent part of mental health care systems.
Perspectives
This work reinforces the idea that telehealth is not just a technical shift, but a relational and structural one. If we want telehealth-based parenting interventions to be effective and equitable, we must invest in provider training, digital access, and policies that support both families and the mental health workforce—especially in underserved and international contexts.
Dr. Alejandro L. Vázquez
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Provider’s attitudes towards telehealth and parenting interventions during COVID-19 pandemic: an exploratory cross-sectional study from Brazil and Mexico, Psicologia Reflexão e Crítica, August 2025, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1186/s41155-025-00360-3.
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