Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jul 29, 2022
Open Peer Review Period: Jul 29, 2022 - Sep 23, 2022
Date Accepted: Dec 12, 2022
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Young adults’ perceptions of two publicly available digital resources for self-injury: A qualitative study of a peer support app and web-based factsheets
ABSTRACT
Background:
Digital resources have promise to bridge gaps in mental health services for young people who self-injure. Most research on digital resources for this population has involved observational studies of content in online communities or formative studies focused on the design of new interventions. Far less research has sought to understand young people’s experiences with publicly available digital resources, or to identify specific components of these resources that are perceived to be of value in their recovery.
Objective:
The aim of the current study was to understand young people’s experiences with two publicly available digital resources for self-injury and to disentangle potential explanatory mechanisms associated with perceived benefits and harms.
Methods:
Participants were 96 individuals (16-25 years old), with current NSSI behavior. Open-ended responses collected as part of a larger trial designed to assess the efficacy of the peer support app and web-based psychoeducation in reducing self-injury, were analyzed qualitatively. Semi-open iterative coding was used to identify overall experiences with, and qualities of, these resources that were perceived to be beneficial or harmful in participants’ recovery.
Results:
On the whole participants were more likely to report benefits than harms, and participants that used the peer support app endorsed more harms, than participants that received the psychoeducational materials. There also benefits derived repeated measurements through weekly surveys. Key benefits across digital resources included (1) enhanced self-knowledge, (2) reductions in self-injury activity, (3) increased outreach or informal conversations, (4) improved attitudes towards therapy, (5) improved mood, and (6) feeling supported and less alone. Key challenges included (1) worsened or unchanged self-injury activity, (2) diminished mood, and (3) increased barriers to outreach.
Conclusions:
Findings contribute a more nuanced understanding of young people’s experiences with existing digital resources for self-injury and have implications for the optimization of existing platforms, and the design of novel resources, to support individuals who self-injure.
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