Recognizing and coping with suicidal thoughts: A mixed-methods investigation of digital safety plan content

Suicide safety plans are a personalized means of documenting how a person at risk of suicide recognizes and intends to cope with emerging suicidal thoughts. This study aimed to understand how users of digital suicide safety plans describe their warning signs, methods of coping and any relationships between these that may emerge.

A sample comprising 150 users of the Australian suicide safety planning smartphone app Beyond Now consented to share the content of their safety plans. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify themes in overall plan content. Most participants identified as women (61%), had a history of at least one suicide attempt (61%) and completed their plans by themselves (84%).

Three major themes emerged: (1) interpersonal challenges and complexity; (2) matching coping strategies to warning signs; and (3) helpful and harmful digital technology use. Most plans appeared to demonstrate high self-awareness of warning signs and available supports.

Safety plan content provides a window into the thought process underlying the recognition of suicidal thoughts and the attempts to manage them. An opportunity exists for practitioners and support persons to use this content when collaboratively supporting a safety plan user to improve their coping strategies and support networks.