Comparing social media engagement between women with suicidal ideation and those who have attempted suicide.

Abstract

This study examined differences in social media engagement between women with suicidal ideation only (SI-only) and those who had attempted suicide (SA). We used content, statistical, and time series analyses on 3,510 tweets from 41 women in South Korea who had ideated and/or attempted suicide. Most tweets focused on everyday life and interests (38.0%, 1,355 tweets), while others expressed mental health distress and challenges (0.6%, 22), school or work-related stress (3.4%, 120), social relationship stress (1.5%, 52), and explicit suicidal statements (0.6%, 22). SI-only users posted the most on Saturdays, while SA users peaked on Sundays. Closer to the time of suicide, SA users increasingly posted explicit suicidal content, whereas SI-only users expressed more negative emotions. Our findings could help identify individuals at risk of suicide on social media, distinguishing between SI-only and SA users to inform better interventions.