Who seeks help online? Comparing online and offline help-seeking preferences amongst youths with suicidal ideation.

BACKGROUND

Research consistently report an inverse relationship between suicide risk and help-seeking. The increasingly available internet-based support potentially offers an attractive alternative to traditional forms of assistance. The study compared the characteristics of suicidal youths in Hong Kong and their online and offline help-seeking behaviours.

METHODS

Participants (N = 1214, age-range = 15-24 years) responded to the anonymous 2018 Hong Kong Online Survey on Youth Mental Health and Internet Usage. Respondents with suicidal thoughts were classified into those who sought help online and offline, or online only ("online-help"); those who sought help offline only ("offline-help"); and those who never sought help ("no-help"). They responded to questions concerning mental health, perception towards online support, internet use, help sources, and demographic information.

RESULTS

The online-help group differed significantly from other groups, with greater suicidal ideation, distress, risk behaviours, and spent more time online for non-work-related purposes. Their perceived benefits of online support include anonymity, avoiding embarrassment, and social support. They are more likely to seek help from a combination of informal and formal sources.

LIMITATIONS

No data on whether participants sought help online or offline first, and their current treatment status is available. Our study adopted conveniences sampling, and few respondents have sought help online exclusively.

CONCLUSION

Online support offers an alternate way of engaging at-risk youths. Future clinical practice should consider online platforms as a complement, rather than a replacement, of offline platforms.