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Automated Digital Safety Planning Interventions for Young Adults: Qualitative Study Using Online Co-design Methods
Jonah Meyerhoff1, Sarah A Popowski1, Tanvi Lakhtakia1
1Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.
JMIR Formative Research
|February 26, 2025
Summary
Young adults need digital tools for suicide prevention that build coping skills and leverage social connections. Designing these services with user input ensures they are transparent, private, and accessible for effective self-management.
Area of Science:
- Digital mental health interventions
- Suicide prevention research
- Adolescent and young adult psychology
Background:
- Young adults face rising suicidal thoughts and behaviors but have low mental health care access.
- Digital interventions can overcome barriers to traditional care.
- Co-design with lived experience is crucial for acceptability.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify needs and preferences for an automated SMS text messaging safety planning service.
- Support young adults in self-managing suicide-related thoughts and behaviors.
Main Methods:
- 30 young adults (18-24) with recent suicidal ideation participated in online focus groups.
- Thematic analysis of focus group transcripts identified key needs and features.
- Prompts centered on coping, safety planning, and technology for self-management.
Main Results:
- Interventions must empower self-management and skill acquisition.
- Leveraging social connections is important.
- Key technological needs include transparency, strong privacy/data security, and usability (tone, customization, navigation).
- Features like self-tracking and reminders are beneficial.
Conclusions:
- Co-design with young adults is vital for effective digital suicide prevention tools.
- Interventions should enhance coping skills, interpersonal connections, transparency, and data privacy.
- Addresses critical considerations for expanding access to evidence-based care.
