Analysis of nonsuicidal self-injury posts on Twitter: A quantitative and qualitative research

Aline Conceição Silva,Sandra Cristina Pillon,Kelly Graziani Giacchero Vedana,José Carlos Pereira Dos Santos,Adriana Inocenti Miasso,Carla Aparecida Arena Ventura

doi:10.33448/rsd-v10i4.13017

Abstract

Retrospective study, of mixed approach, with quantitative and qualitative approaches, with the objective of analyzing posts about non-suicidal self-harm on Twitter. The posts were collected through screen capture, transcribed and encoded. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, association tests and multiple logistic regression, with a significance level of 5%. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke. In the results, female profile tweets and potentially harmful content prevailed. The expression of the suicidal behavior of the author of the post was associated with the encouragement of non-suicidal self-harm and increased chances of sharing and commenting on the posts. Reply posts were more likely to receive likes and comments. Posts encouraging non-suicidal self-harm describe social manifestations of behavior and exposure to non-suicidal self-harm through mass communication. The results bring important discussions about the potential impact of posts on non-suicidal self-harm and reflection on the discussion of behavior in the digital social context. It is important that mental health actions include tracking risk behaviors on the internet, supporting people in situations of vulnerability, redirecting to support services, as well as strategic actions to promote the conscious and healthy use of social networks.

Highlights

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) represents an intentional self-inflicted damage to the surface of the body with the expectation that the injury will result in minor or moderate physical damage, without suicidal intentionality
Transient relief is usually experienced during or after NSSI and the individual can intensify engagement in the behavior resulting in dependency (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), shame-related sufferings, impairments in social relationships and self-perception
Most of the posts didn’t have incentive to NSSI (89.4%), they did not mention a method for NSSI practice (94.6%), addressed NSSI as a condition requiring treatment (68.3%) and they did not express an individual suicidal behavior (94.8%) (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) represents an intentional self-inflicted damage to the surface of the body with the expectation that the injury will result in minor or moderate physical damage, without suicidal intentionality. Transient relief is usually experienced during or after NSSI and the individual can intensify engagement in the behavior resulting in dependency (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), shame-related sufferings, impairments in social relationships and self-perception. NSSI is a risk factor for future suicide(American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Lim et al, 2019). Communication on NSSI on the Internet has increased in the last years, and the type of contents available for users and their repercussion in the daily life of these individuals is worrying (Lewis, Heath, Michal, & Duggan, 2012; Marchant et al, 2017; Cassel; Terribile; Machado, 2019). A review study identified that the Internet could catalyze a support network for people with NSSI, but it promotes access to NSSI media, content that normalizes this behavior, violent content, intimidation or harassment of vulnerable people (Moreno et al, 2016)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion