Brennan, C orcid.org/0000-0002-5258-8497, Saraiva, S, Mitchell, E et al. (4 more authors) (2022) Self-harm and suicidal content online, harmful or helpful? A systematic review of the recent evidence. Journal of Public Mental Health, 21 (1). pp. 57-69. ISSN 1746-5729
Abstract
Purpose
There are calls for greater regulation of online content related to self-harm and suicide, particularly that which is user-generated. However, the online space is a source of support and advice, including an important sharing of experiences. This study aims to explore what it is about such online content, and how people interact with it, that may confer harm or offer benefit.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors undertook a systematic review of the published evidence, using customised searches up to February 2021 in seven databases. The authors included empirical research on the internet or online use and self-harm or suicide content that had been indexed since 2015. The authors undertook a theoretically driven narrative synthesis.
Findings
From 4,493 unique records, 87 met our inclusion criteria. The literature is rapidly expanding and not all the evidence is high quality, with very few longitudinal or intervention studies so little evidence to understand possible causal links. Very little content online is classifiable as explicitly harmful or definitively helpful, with responses varying by the individual and immediate context. The authors present a framework that seeks to represent the interplay in online use between the person, the medium, the content and the outcome.
Originality/value
This review highlights that content should not be considered separately to the person accessing it, so online safety means thinking about all users. Blanket removal or unthinking regulation may be more harmful than helpful. A focus on safe browsing is important and tools that limit time and diversify content would support this.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited. This is an author produced version of an article published in Journal of Public Mental Health. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Self-harm; Social media; Suicide; Systematic review |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Health Sciences (Leeds) > Academic Unit of Health Economics (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Health Sciences (Leeds) > Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 15 Dec 2021 12:38 |
Last Modified: | 18 Jul 2022 14:03 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Emerald |
Identification Number: | 10.1108/JPMH-09-2021-0118 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:181574 |