This study introduces empirical data essential to our understanding of the relationship between suicidal individuals and the internet. Strong support was found for hypotheses that suicidal individuals purposely use the internet to resolve suicidal problems, whether for life or for death, and actively engage in an internal suicidal debate. A computer-administered survey (N = 64), and a multinational online survey (N = 1016), provided data on suicide-risk factors, online help-seeking, and internet use. Results from the computer-administered survey showed negative problem-solving approach, using phone helplines, and reluctance to seek professional mental health services, predicted online help-seeking for suicidal ideation. Results from the online survey demonstrated suicide-risk individuals form a unique online population. Suicide-risk participants were more likely, than nonsuicidal, to use online forums, while suicide-risk females, compared to nonsuicidal females, were more likely to create original online content (e.g., blogs, social networking), and spend time surfing/browsing. Suicide-risk participants, particularly females, were more likely to go online in search of new interpersonal relationships (as evidenced by the author-developed Online Relationship Building scale), and demonstrated some acceptance of online help sources. Suicide surfers (suicide-risk individuals who reported going online for suicide-related purposes) were compared with suicide-risk online users (who did not report such experience). Suicide surfers were found to be a higher risk group, reporting more severe suicidal and depressive symptoms, and less social support. Surfers reported higher satisfaction with unmoderated online forums, compared with helpsites and online mental health professionals. Online, they also found more support, felt less alienated, and had more satisfying communications. Results showed strong support for the internal suicidal debate hypotheses. In addition, reasons for living and dying significantly differed between highly suicidal and not suicidal participants, and most highly suicidal participants reported using the internet to look for and/or confirm their reasons for living and dying. Implications include a need for helpsites to be more user and communication oriented. Research implications include new directions for exploring the spectrum of suicidal ideation, and further examining online suicide-related behaviors.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/254009 |
| Creators | Keith Harris |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Detected Language | English |
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