A Systematic Review of Suicide Prevention Apps for User Engagement and Usability (Preprint)

BACKGROUND People with suicidal thoughts are more inclined to seek technology-delivered interventions than in-person forms of treatment, making mobile apps for suicide prevention an ideal platform for treatment delivery. OBJECTIVE This review examines apps designed for suicide prevention, with a specific focus on user engagement. METHODS All apps referring to suicidal thoughts and behaviors were identified in Google Play and iOS app stores and were systematically reviewed for app content and quality. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) was used to evaluate app usability and engagement. RESULTS A total of 66 apps were identified. Most (64.0%) were designed specifically for people with suicidal ideation, whereas 89.3% had at least one best practice feature for suicide risk reduction and 83.3% scored in the “acceptable” range according to the MARS. The total MARS score was not associated with the user app rating or the number of features. CONCLUSIONS Only free apps were systematically evaluated, potentially limiting the breadth of this review. It is unclear how frequently these apps are used, whether they are reaching target audiences, or most importantly, if they are effective at reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

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Theory-Based Social and Non-Social Engagement Features in Smoking Cessation Mobile Apps: A Content Analysis

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18179106 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (17) ◽

pp. 9106

Author(s):

Qinghua Yang

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Smoking Cessation ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Social Engagement ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Mobile App ◽

Social Referencing ◽

User Engagement ◽

The Social

Despite the ubiquity of smartphone ownership and the increasing integration of social engagement features in smoking cessation apps to engage users, the social and non-social engagement features that are present in current smoking cessation apps and the effectiveness of these features in engaging users remain understudied. To fill the gap in the literature, a content analysis of free and paid smoking cessation mobile apps was conducted to examine (a) the presence of social features (i.e., social support, social announcement, and social referencing) and non-social engagement features (e.g., personal environmental changes, goal setting, progress tracking, reinforcement tracking, self-monitoring, and personalized recommendations) and (b) their relationships with user engagement scores measured by the Mobile App Rating Scale. In this study, 28.2% of the smoking cessation apps enable social announcement and 8.1% offered the social support feature. Only two apps provided a social referencing feature (1.3%). No app included reinforcement tracking, with the percentage of other non-social engagement features ranging from 9.4% to 49.0%. Social support (β = 0.30, p < 0.001), social announcement (β = 0.21, p < 0.05), and social referencing (β = 0.18, p < 0.05) were significant predictors of user engagement. Regarding the non-social engagement features, personal environment changes (β = 0.38, p < 0.001), progress tracking (β = 0.18, p < 0.05), and personalized recommendations (β = 0.37, p < 0.001) significantly predicted user engagement. The findings not only contribute to the mobile communication literature by applying and extending the theory-based mobile health apps engagement typology, but also inform the future architecture design of smoking cessation mobile apps.

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Proactive Suicide Prevention Online (PSPO): Machine Identification and Crisis Management for Chinese Social Media Users With Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/11705 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (5) ◽

pp. e11705 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Xingyun Liu ◽

Xiaoqian Liu ◽

Jiumo Sun ◽

Nancy Xiaonan Yu ◽

Bingli Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Crisis Management ◽

Suicide Prevention ◽

Suicidal Thoughts ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors ◽

Chinese Social Media

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Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions for Suicide Prevention: Promise, Challenges, and Future Directions

10.31234/osf.io/eg9fx ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel D.L. Coppersmith ◽

Walter Dempsey ◽

Evan Kleiman ◽

Kate Bentley ◽

Susan Murphy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Suicide Prevention ◽

The United States ◽

Just In Time ◽

Suicidal Thoughts ◽

Adaptive Interventions ◽

Internal States ◽

Interactive Nature ◽

And Behaviors ◽

The Right ◽

Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors

The suicide rate has not changed in the United States over the past 100 years and there is a need for new ways of preventing suicide. Research has revealed that suicidal thoughts and behaviors and the factors that drive them are dynamic, heterogeneous, and interactive. Most existing interventions are infrequent (e.g., weekly sessions), not accessible when most needed, and not systematically tailored to the person using their own data. Advances in technology and statistics offer an opportunity to develop new interventions that may better match the dynamic, heterogeneous, and interactive nature of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs) are designed to provide the right type of support at the right time by adapting to changes in internal states and external contexts, offering a promising pathway towards more effective suicide prevention. In this review, we highlight the potential of JITAIs for suicide prevention, challenges ahead for developing JITAIs for suicide prevention, and possible solutions to these challenges.

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Perfectionism and Prospective Near-Term Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors: The Mediation of Fear of Humiliation and Suicide Crisis Syndrome

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17041424 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 1424 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tyler Pia ◽

Igor Galynker ◽

Allison Schuck ◽

Courtney Sinclair ◽

Gelan Ying ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Indirect Effect ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Suicidal Thoughts ◽

Mediation Analyses ◽

Severity Rating ◽

Serial Mediation ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Near Term ◽

Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors

Background: Perfectionism has been linked to suicide. According to the Narrative-Crisis Model of suicide, individuals with trait vulnerabilities are prone to develop a certain mindset, known as a Suicidal Narrative, which may precipitate the Suicide Crisis Syndrome (SCS), culminating in suicide. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between perfectionism (trait vulnerability), fear of humiliation (component of the Suicidal Narrative), SCS, and prospective near-term suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB). Methods: Adult psychiatric outpatient participants (N = 336) were assessed at baseline with the Suicidal Narrative Inventory for perfectionism and fear of humiliation. The questions used to assess perfectionism were adapted from the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. The severity of the SCS was calculated using the Suicide Crisis Inventory. STB were assessed at baseline and after one month using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Serial mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS version 3.3 in SPSS. Results: While the direct effect of perfectionism on prospective STB was not significant (b = 0.01, p = 0.19), the indirect effect of perfectionism on STB, through serial mediation by fear of humiliation and the SCS, was significant (indirect effect p = 0.007, 95% CI [0.003, 0.013]). The indirect effect was not significant for models that did not include both mediators. Limitations: Variables were assessed at one time only. Conclusion: Perfectionism did not directly modulate STB. Perfectionism may be related to suicidal behavior through fear of humiliation, leading to the SCS. These results support the Narrative-Crisis Model of suicide and clarify the role of perfectionism in the etiology of suicide.

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Alexithymia, Suicidal Ideation and Behaviour in Moroccan Psychoactive Substance Users

10.21203/rs.3.rs-143731/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Khadija Karjouh ◽

Fatima-Zahra Azzaoui ◽

Riadh Ouerchefani ◽

Wafae idrissi semlali ◽

Khaoula Mammad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Emotional Regulation ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Depressive Symptomatology ◽

Suicidal Thoughts ◽

Severity Rating ◽

Significant Difference ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors

Abstract Alexithymia is an emotion regulation problem that may be related to suicidality, especially in patients with SUD.The study aimed at estimating the prevalence of alexithymia in Moroccan psychoactive substances users, and to establish the links between alexithymia and suicidal ideation and behaviors, anxiety and depression in drug-dependent patients.We also aimed to elucidate if alexithymia predicts suicidal thoughts and behaviors in these consumers. The study included 451 consecutively admitted patients with substance use. Consumers were examined with the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)Among substance-dependent individuals, 72.7% was identified as a group with alexithymia. Current age and age at first substance use were lower in the alexithymic group (p<0.01).The mean STAI-Y state and C-SSRS scores were higher in the group with alexithymia (p<0.01). There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of mean scores for anxiety traits (p<0.05) and no significant difference in terms of mean scores for depression. All of the scores correlated significantly with.Addicted patients with alexithymia could be targeted at preventing the onset of suicidal thoughts and behaviorThe present study also evokes that whenever an emotional regulation disorder is observed, the possibility of anxio-depressive symptomatology and suicidality (ideation and behavior) needs to be assessed.

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Differences in Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Three Racial Groups

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000621 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 172-178

Author(s):

Brooke A. Ammerman ◽

Martha K. Fahlgren ◽

Kristen M. Sorgi ◽

Michael S. McCloskey

Keyword(s):

Suicide Attempts ◽

Health Concern ◽

Future Research ◽

Racial Groups ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Suicidal Thoughts ◽

Final Sample ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Assessment Procedures ◽

Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors

Abstract. Background: Despite being a major public health concern, it is unclear how suicidal thoughts and behaviors differentially impact separate racial groups. Aims: The aim of the current study was to examine the occurrence of nonlethal suicide events, in addition to suicide attempt characteristics and factors contributing to suicide attempts. Method: A final sample of 7,094 undergraduates from a large northeastern university, identifying as members of three racial groups (White [67.30%], Black [17.30%], and Asian [15.40%]), completed online questionnaires. Results: White participants reported increased likelihood of endorsing lifetime suicidal ideation and plan, whereas Black participants reported decreased likelihood of these events; no differences were found in rates of lifetime suicide attempts. Black participants' suicidal behavior may involve greater ambivalence of intent. A higher proportion of Asian participants endorsed interpersonal factors as contributing to their suicide attempts, whereas a greater percentage of White participants reported internal contributing factors. Limitations: Findings are limited by the sample size and assessment of lifetime suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Conclusion: The findings present a more nuanced look at attitudes and actions related to suicidal thoughts and behaviors that may inform future research and risk assessment procedures.

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