The Use of Close Friends on Instagram, Help-Seeking Willingness, and Suicidality Among Hong Kong Youth: Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Study.

Autor: Chen SS; Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China., Lam TP; Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China., Lam KF; Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.; Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore., Lo TL; Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong, China., Chao DVK; Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Hospital Authority Kowloon East Cluster, Hong Kong, China., Mak KY; Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China., Lam EWW; Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China., Tang WS; Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China., Chan HY; Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China., Yip PSF; Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.; Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of medical Internet research [J Med Internet Res] 2022 Oct 12; Vol. 24 (10), pp. e37695. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Oct 12.
DOI: 10.2196/37695
Abstrakt: Background: Social networking sites (SNSs) have gained popularity in recent years for help seeking and self-distress expression among adolescents. Although online suicidal expression is believed to have major benefits, various concerns have also been raised, particularly around privacy issues. Understanding youths' help-seeking behavior on SNSs is critical for effective suicide prevention; however, most research neglects the impacts of the private SNS context.
Objective: This study aims to examine youths' private SNS use via the new Instagram feature, Close Friends, and its association with both online and offline help-seeking willingness as well as youths' suicidality.
Methods: This study employed an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach with a combination of explorative qualitative interviews and a systematic quantitative survey, targeting youth aged 15-19 years in Hong Kong. The motivations for utilizing Close Friends and concerns regarding online expression were addressed in the focus group and individual interviews (n=40). A cross-sectional survey (n=1676) was conducted subsequently with eligible secondary school students to examine the prevalence of Close Friends usage, their online and offline help-seeking willingness, and suicide-related experiences.
Results: A total of 3 primary motives for using Close Friends were identified during interviews, including (1) interaction and help seeking, (2) release of negative emotions, and (3) ventilation and self-expression. Most participants also highlighted the privacy concerns associated with public online communication and the importance of contacting close friends for emotional support. Survey results showed that use of Close Friends was quite prevalent among adolescents (1163/1646, 70.66%), with around 46% (754/1646, 45.81%) of respondents being frequent users. Differences by gender and school academic banding were also revealed. Regarding help-seeking intentions, youths were generally positive about seeking help from peers and friends offline (1010/1266, 79.78%) yet negative about seeking assistance from online friends or professionals with whom they had not yet developed a real-world connection (173/1266, 13.67%). Most notably, frequencies of Close Friends usage were differentially associated with online and offline help-seeking willingness and youths' suicidality. Compared with nonusers, those who had ever used the feature were more likely to seek offline support (adjusted odds ratios [AORs] 1.82-2.36), whereas heavy use of Close Friends was associated with increased odds of online help-seeking willingness (AOR 1.76, 95% CI 1.06-2.93) and a higher risk of suicidality (AOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.01-2.31).
Conclusions: The popularity of Close Friends reflects the increasing need for private online expression among youth. This study demonstrates the importance of Close Friends for self-expression and private conversation and inadequacy of peer support for suicidal adolescents. Further research is needed to identify the causal relationship between Close Friends usage and help-seeking willingness to guide the advancement of suicide prevention strategies. Researchers and social media platforms may cooperate to co-design a risk monitoring system tailored to the private SNS context, assisting professionals in identifying youth at risk of suicide.
(©Sikky Shiqi Chen, Tai Pong Lam, Kwok Fai Lam, Tak Lam Lo, David Vai Kiong Chao, Ki Yan Mak, Edmund Wing Wo Lam, Wai Sin Tang, Hoi Yan Chan, Paul Siu Fai Yip. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 12.10.2022.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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