Abstract
Background:
The positive and negative effects of interacting with web-based content on mental health, and especially self-harm, are well documented. Lived experience stories are one such type of static web-based content, frequently published on health care or third-sector organization websites, as well as social media and blogs, as a form of support for those seeking help via the web.
Objective:
This study aimed to increase understanding about how people who self-harm engage with and evaluate web-based lived experience stories.
Methods:
Overall, 4 web-based focus groups were conducted with 13 people with recent self-harm experience (aged 16-40 years). In total, 3 example lived experience stories were read aloud to participants, who were then asked to share their reactions to the stories. Participants were also encouraged to reflect on stories previously encountered on the web. Data were analyzed thematically.
Results:
Overall, 5 themes were generated: stories of recovery from self-harm and their emotional impact, impact on self-help and help-seeking behaviors, identifying with the narrator, authenticity, and language and stereotyping.
Conclusions:
Lived experience stories published on the web can provide a valuable form of support for those experiencing self-harm. They can be motivating and empowering for the reader, and they have the potential to distract readers from urges to self-harm. However, these effects may be moderated by age, and narratives of recovery may demoralize older readers. Our findings have implications for organizations publishing lived experience content and for community guidelines and moderators of web-based forums in which users share their stories. These include the need to consider the narrator’s age and the relatability and authenticity of their journey and the need to avoid using stigmatizing language.
The positive and negative effects of interacting with web-based content on mental health, and especially self-harm, are well documented. Lived experience stories are one such type of static web-based content, frequently published on health care or third-sector organization websites, as well as social media and blogs, as a form of support for those seeking help via the web.
Objective:
This study aimed to increase understanding about how people who self-harm engage with and evaluate web-based lived experience stories.
Methods:
Overall, 4 web-based focus groups were conducted with 13 people with recent self-harm experience (aged 16-40 years). In total, 3 example lived experience stories were read aloud to participants, who were then asked to share their reactions to the stories. Participants were also encouraged to reflect on stories previously encountered on the web. Data were analyzed thematically.
Results:
Overall, 5 themes were generated: stories of recovery from self-harm and their emotional impact, impact on self-help and help-seeking behaviors, identifying with the narrator, authenticity, and language and stereotyping.
Conclusions:
Lived experience stories published on the web can provide a valuable form of support for those experiencing self-harm. They can be motivating and empowering for the reader, and they have the potential to distract readers from urges to self-harm. However, these effects may be moderated by age, and narratives of recovery may demoralize older readers. Our findings have implications for organizations publishing lived experience content and for community guidelines and moderators of web-based forums in which users share their stories. These include the need to consider the narrator’s age and the relatability and authenticity of their journey and the need to avoid using stigmatizing language.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e43840 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | JMIR Mental Health |
| Volume | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Jan 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston National Health Service Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. BM is funded by a Medical Research Foundation fellowship (MRF-058-0017-F-MARS-C0869). PM is supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston National Health Service Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. The funders had no involvement in the study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data; writing of the report; or decision to submit the paper for publication. The authors are extremely grateful to the people who participated in this study. The authors would also like to thank Nina di Cara and Zoe Haime for their support in moderating the focus groups.
Publisher Copyright:
©Lizzy Winstone, Becky Mars, Jennifer Ferrar, Paul Moran, Ian Penton-Voak, Lydia Grace, Lucy Biddle.
Research Groups and Themes
- SASH
Keywords
- self-harm
- lived experience stories
- web-based support
- self-help
- recovery
- focus groups
