If social media, through positive messaging, provides support to people who self injure, it could help them overcome non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), according to a new study done by the University of Guelph.
Professor Stephen Lewis, who is a psychology professor at the University of Guelph and the lead author of the study said, “Self-injury, including cutting and burning, is a serious public health concern around the world.”
People belonging to all ages tend to self-injure, but it has been seen that it is much more prevalent in people aged 14 to 24. Almost one in every five people between these ages were affected by non-suicidal self-injury. The study was published recently in the journal Digital Health and talks about how positive messaging can help people recover.
“We know that young people who struggle with self-injury often go online to obtain needed social support,” added Lewis. He also noted that the stigma that surrounds self-injury and mental health often leads to a feeling of isolation.
The internet can provide a safe-place for people who tend to self-injure since it can provide them less dangerous and more anonymous information, and act as a support network. People who cannot find positive support anywhere else, can eventually find it on the internet.
“They often just want to see other people’s stories and to understand that they’re not alone in their struggle,” said Lewis. “They are looking for a sense of validation, acceptance and understanding.”
Lewis worked with Poojan Joshi, a former undergrad student at the University of Guelph, and Yukari Seko from the Toronto Bloorview Research Institute to find out how comment on social media can help change the attitude of people who have indulged in NSSI.
Researchers inserted fictional comments by peers in the screenshot of a Youtube video about NSSI and then went on to examine attitudes about recovery from NSSI before and after positive and negative messaging on the social media platforms.
While most researchers have thought that social media worsens the patient’s condition, proving to be a hindrance in their recovery but Lewis found that if the messages are positive, patient’s attitude about their recovery actually improved.
Interestingly, Lewis and his team also found that pessimistic comments did not lead to an increase in the sense of hopelessness in people who participated in the study. According to Lewis, this study will hopefully prompt further researches on the how the Internet and social media can help give people who self injure a sense of hope.
“NSSI is a complex concern, but many who self-injure experience very painful, intense and difficult emotions that are perceived as extremely difficult to tolerate and control,” said Lewis. “To this end, we see that the most common reason given for self-injury is to get relief from these adverse experiences, even if for a moment.”