"Smartphone Apps Are Cool, But Do They Help Me?": A Qualitative Interview Study of Adolescents' Perspectives on Using Smartphone Interventions to Manage Nonsuicidal Self-Injury.

Paul L. Plener,Julian Edbrooke-Childs,Türkan Akkaya-Kalayci,Susanne Ohmann,Anja Čuš

doi:10.3390/ijerph18063289

Abstract

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a major mental health problem associated with negative psychosocial outcomes and it most often starts in early adolescence. Despite this, adolescents are rarely involved in informing the development of interventions designed to address their mental health problems. This study aimed to (1) assess adolescents’ needs and preferences about future interventions that are delivered through smartphones and (2) develop a framework with implications for designing engaging digital mental health interventions. Fifteen adolescent girls, aged 12–18 years, who met diagnostic criteria for a current NSSI disorder and were in contact with mental health services, participated in semi-structured interviews. Following a reflexive thematic analysis approach, this study identified two main themes: (1) Experiences of NSSI (depicts the needs of young people related to their everyday experiences of managing NSSI) and (2) App in Context (portrays preferences of young people about smartphone interventions and reflects adolescents’ views on how technology itself can improve or hinder engaging with these interventions). Adolescent patients expressed interest in using smartphone mental health interventions if they recognize them as helpful, relevant for their life situation and easy to use. The developed framework suggests that digital mental health interventions are embedded in three contexts (i.e., person using the intervention, mental health condition, and technology-related factors) which together need to inform the development of engaging digital resources. To achieve this, the cooperation among people with lived experience, mental health experts, and human computer interaction professionals is vital.

Highlights

IntroductionNonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), defined as deliberate destruction of body tissue in absence of suicidal intent, is an important mental health concern worldwide [1]
In terms of format, our study found that in the context of Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) special efforts need to be focused on supporting young people in the moments of psychological crisis when they experience an urge to self-injure
This study identified adolescents’ needs and expectations for future mobile health (mHealth) interventions

Summary

Introduction

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), defined as deliberate destruction of body tissue in absence of suicidal intent, is an important mental health concern worldwide [1]. 18% of adolescents (age range 11–18 years) report at least one life-time event of NSSI [2]. NSSI usually starts in adolescence, most often between the age of 12 and 14 [3] and is a risk factor for suicidal behavior [4]. A recent meta-analysis showed that people engage in NSSI predominantly for intrapersonal reasons, such as emotion regulation and for interpersonal reasons, such as communicating distress [5].

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion