A Preliminary Investigation of Going Online for Suicide-Related Reasons: The Impact on Suicide Risk and Prevention

Online spaces can be a source of suicide safety as well as suicide risk. What potentially restricts their safety value is the limited contemporary evidence regarding who engages online for suicide-related reasons. This study explored characteristic differences between individuals using social media/internet for suicide-related reasons (users) and those who do not (non-users). It sought to identify whether users differ in relation to psychological, interpersonal, and social characteristics compared to non-users. These characteristics were suicide risk (SBQ-R), depression symptomology (PHQ-9), social anxiety (SIAS), perceived social support (MSPSS), help-seeking intentions (GHSQ), mood states (BRUMS), social connectedness (SCS-R), and interpersonal needs (INQ). Ninety adults (Mage = 42.65, range 18–82 years) at elevated suicide risk (SBQ-R score ≥ 7) and recent experience of suicidal thoughts/behaviors completed an anonymous online survey. Users reported higher overall suicide risk, higher likelihood of disclosing suicidal thoughts, higher levels of depressive symptomology and social anxiety, and more frequent suicidal thoughts than non-users. There was no group difference in the likelihood of a future suicide attempt. Mood state differences indicated users reported higher scores for depression and confusion, with both groups reporting mood profiles associated with psychopathology risk. Across both groups, mood scores predicted 34.1% of the variance in overall suicide risk and 24.0% of the variance in likelihood of attempting suicide in the future. Given the relatively small sample size, the nonsupport of some hypotheses may be due to low power rather than no differences existing. However, the findings provide tentative support for the notion that suicide-related online use may help reduce the self-reported likelihood of future suicide attempts.