title: College Students' Responses to Suicidal Content on Social Networking Sites: An Examination Using a Simulated Facebook Newsfeed.
abstract: Although Facebook has a peer-initiated suicide prevention protocol, little is known about users' abilities to notice, recognize, and appropriately interpret suicidal content or about their willingness to intervene. In this study, 468 college students were randomly assigned to interact with a simulated Facebook newsfeed containing content reflecting various suicide risk levels. A larger proportion of those exposed to content reflecting moderate and severe suicide risk noticed, recognized, appropriately interpreted, and endorsed taking action to intervene, as compared to those exposed to content representing no or low risk. Overall, results indicate that college students are responsive to suicidal content on Facebook.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Darcy J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Corbitt-Hall
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Jami M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA. tracy.witte@auburn.edu.
authors.forename: Tracy K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Witte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012308:Risk Management; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D060756:Social Networking; D012944:Social Support; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D000092864:Suicide Prevention