A Systematic Review of Social Media Use to Discuss and View Deliberate Self-Harm Acts
Dyson MP, Hartling L, Shulhan J, Chisholm A, Milne A, Sundar P, Scott SD, Newton AS
PloS one · 75 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Systematic review (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- No health outcome
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- Government
- Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health
- University or hospital
- Charles Sturt University
- Government
- Alberta Innovates
- Government
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- Grants
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (126595_1)
Based on 4 listed funder(s) and full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2016-05-18 · PLoS One · vol. 11 · issue 5 · p. e0155813
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science
- Cited
- 194 citations · more than 90% of similar papers · 2.5× the field average
- References
- 53 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Suicide and Self-Harm Studies · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- self-harm, social media, online forums, youth, online support groups, suicidal ideation
- MeSH
- humans, self-injurious behavior, social behavior, motivation, female, male, young adult, social media
8 authors
From CA
- Michele P. Dyson · correspondingUniversity of Alberta
- Lisa HartlingUniversity of Alberta
- Jocelyn ShulhanUniversity of Alberta
- Annabritt ChisholmUniversity of Alberta
- Andrea MilneUniversity of Alberta
- Purnima Desai SundarOntario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health
Abstract
Objective
To conduct a systematic review of studies of social media platforms used by young people to discuss and view deliberate self-harm.
Study design
11 electronic databases were searched from January 2000 to January 2012 for primary research; in June 2014 an updated search of Medline was conducted. Grey literature sources were also searched. Search results were screened by two reviewers. Data were extracted by one reviewer and verified by another. Methodological quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.
Results
Due to heterogeneity in study objectives and outcomes, results were not pooled; a narrative analysis is presented. 26 studies were included. Most were conducted in Canada or the UK (30.8% each), used qualitative designs (42.3%), and evaluated discussion forums (73.1%). Participants were most often aged 19-21 years (69.2%), female (mean 68.6%), and 19.2% had a documented history of depression. The social media platforms evaluated were commonly supportive and provided a sense of community among users. Support included suggestions for formal treatment, advice on stopping self-harming behavior, and encouragement. Harms included normalizing and accepting self-harming behavior; discussion of motivation or triggers, concealment, suicidal ideation or plans; and live depictions of self-harm acts.
Conclusions
Although this evidence is limited by its descriptive nature, studies identify beneficial and detrimental effects for young people using social media to discuss and view deliberate self-harm. The connections users make online may be valuable to explore for therapeutic benefit. Prospective, longitudinal investigations are needed to identify short- and long-term potential harms associated with use.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
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