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Paper Abstract
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Background
Suicide prevention organizations frequently use websites to educate the public, but evaluations of these sites are lacking.
Aims
To examine the effects of educative websites and the moderating effect of participant vulnerability.
Method
One-hundred and sixty-one adults were randomized to either view an educative website on suicide prevention or an unrelated website in a single-blinded randomized controlled trial. The primary outcome was suicidal ideation; secondary outcomes were mood, suicide prevention-related knowledge, and attitudes towards suicide/seeking professional help. Data were collected using questionnaires before (T1), immediately after exposure (T2), and one week after exposure (T3) and analysed using linear mixed models.
Results
No significant intervention effect was identified for the entire intervention group with regards to suicidal ideation, but a significant and sustained increase in suicide prevention-related knowledge (T3 vs. T1: p < .001, d = 1.12 [95% CI: 0.96, 1.28]) and a non-sustained worsening of mood (p < .001, T2 vs. T1: d = -0.59 [-0.75, -0.43]) were observed. Participants with increased vulnerability experienced a partially sustained reduction of suicidal ideation (T3 vs. T1: p < .001, d = -0.34 [-0.50, -0.19]).
Conclusions
Educative professional suicide prevention websites appeared to increase suicide prevention-related knowledge, and among vulnerable individuals, website exposure may be associated with a reduction of suicidal ideation.
Declaration of interest
None.
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Paper Citation
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Till, B., Tran, U. S., Voracek, M., & Niederkrotenthaler, T. (2017). Beneficial and harmful effects of educative suicide prevention websites: randomised controlled trial exploring Papageno v. Werther effects. British Journal of Psychiatry, 211(2), 109-115. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp. 115.177394.
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