Symposia
Suicide and Self-Injury
Raymond P. Tucker, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Background: Young adults who read a story about suicide attempt survival demonstrate increased behavioral intentions to interact with suicide prevention material in the future (Niederkrotenthaler et al., 2015). This result is important as the number of students who die by suicide without ever seeking treatment is increasing (Gallagher, 2014). A series of experimental investigations were completed to determine if exposure to suicide attempt storytelling increases immediate engagement with online suicide prevention materials.
Methods: The first cross-sectional study included a convenience sample (N=218) of undergraduate students. Participants were randomized to see either a 14-minute suicide attempt storytelling video of speaker Kevin Hines or a content-matched 14-minute suicide prevention psychoeducation video. Following a series of attention checks, participants were encouraged to click a link to interact with online suicide prevention resources. Click behavior (Y/N) and time spent with the material (seconds) was tracked through the online survey system. The second investigation was nearly a direct replication of the first; however, participants (N=119) were students experiencing suicide ideation (SI) in the past month.
Results: In study 1, video condition was unrelated to resource link click behavior (χ2(1)=5.41, p=.067). Total time spent with suicide prevention was brief but significantly higher in the storytelling condition (M=11.07 seconds, SD=53.14) compared to the psychoeducation condition (M=1.07, SD=2.31; (χ2 =43.09, df=2, p< .001). Of those experiencing past-week SI in the storytelling condition, 23.1% clicked on the suicide prevention link whereas 8.33% clicked on the link in the psychoeducation condition and the three participants who spent the most time with material were in the storytelling condition and endorsed recent SI. Thus, study 2 directly replicated study 1 but in a sample recruited for past-month SI. In study 2, video condition was unrelated to resource link click behavior (χ2(1)=0.01, p=.964) as well as time spent interacting with suicide prevention resources (χ2 =1.78, df=2, p=.754).
Conclusion: Exposure to suicide attempt recovery storytelling appears to have little to no effect on immediate engagement with online suicide prevention material. Although storytelling may impact other important aspects of help-seeking (e.g., attitudes and behavioral intentions), it does not appear to be a useful tool to impact online resource engagement as often used in awareness campaigns.