Reducing the ‘Silence Between Sessions’: A Qualitative Study on Youth and Professionals' Perspectives on Digital Tools for Suicide Prevention

TL;DR

This study explores how young people and professionals view digital tools for suicide prevention, highlighting both opportunities and challenges in their use.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into user experiences and implementation barriers of digital suicide prevention tools from both youth and professional perspectives.

Findings

Digital tools can offer tailored support for managing suicidal thoughts if they are user-friendly and adaptable.

Privacy concerns and stigma around suicide complicate the use of digital tools for risk management.

Poor user experience and lack of organizational support hinder the effective implementation of these tools.

Abstract

Despite academic and clinical interest in digital suicide prevention tools (‘digital tools’), challenges persist related to their integration into existing care pathways. The objective of this study was to understand how young people and professionals use and perceive digital tools for the management of suicidal thoughts and/or self‐harming behaviours.

This qualitative study involved interviews with young people aged 18–25 with lived experience of suicidal thoughts and/or self‐harming behaviours (n = 8), and with clinical or research expertise in youth suicide and digital interventions (n = 9). Interview transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

The analysis generated three main themes: (1) bridging the gaps in support, (2) user experience while navigating suicidal thoughts or crisis, and (3) digital tool implementation: expectation versus reality. Further, sub‐themes were: (i) unique suicide prevention opportunities inherent to digital tools, (ii) complexity of digital risk management, (iii) privacy considerations around a stigmatised topic, and (iv) (perceived) low uptake by young people.

Digital tools that are user‐friendly, adaptable, and personalised may enable tailored and timely support for the prevention and management of suicide and self‐harm. Nonetheless, poor user experience, organisational buy‐in, and difficulties managing suicide risk data outside clinical environments pose challenges to effective implementation, scale‐up, and sustained engagement. Participatory methods, such as co‐design, may help address these issues.

Young people with lived experience of suicidal thoughts and/or self‐harming behaviours, and who had used digital tools for suicide prevention purposes, were participants in this study. Study processes were reviewed by Orygen's Youth Research Council prior to study commencement.

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