The importance of social media use and interpersonal factors in suicidal ideas

Authors : Hanife Kocakaya, Kübra Arslan

Pages : 444-450

Doi:10.47582/jompac.1347537

View : 82 | Download : 114

Publication Date : 2023-10-27

Article Type : Research

Abstract :Aims: Every year, more than 800. 000 individuals die by suicide as a global public health issue In our study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between suicidal ideation and interpersonal needs, acquired suicidal efficacy, and social media use in the context of Psychological Suicide Theory. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 450 individuals. Participants were contacted through online platforms (Whatsapp and e-mail). The sociodemographic form (gender, age, education, income level, which social media platforms they prefer, their daily social media usage time, what kind of news they follow on social media), Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ), Acquired Suicide Capability – Fear of Death Scale, (ACSS-FAD), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and Social Media Use Scale were applied to the volunteers who gave consent to participate in the study. The research was approved by the Kırıkkale University Faculty of Medicine Non-Interventional Research Ethics Committee. Results: A total of 450 individuals, 308 (68.4%) women and 142 (31.6%) men, participated in the study, with an average age of 26.19± 7.81. 9.3% (n=42) of the participants had a history of suicide attempt. It was learned that 50.7% of the participants drew their attention to the news of suicide on social media, and 22.4% of them followed the news of suicide. it was observed that those who had suicide attempts had significantly higher scores on the SMUIS and INQ (p= 0.002, p= 0.000). Those who followed suicide news on social media were found to have substantially higher SMUIS, INQ, and ACSS-FAD scores (p= 0.000, p= 0.000, p= 0.029). Hierarchical regression analysis was utilized to evaluate factors assumed to have an effect on acquired suicidal efficacy. According to this; social media use was found to be effective on acquired suicide capability- death fearlessness (β=.295, t(450)=6.01, p<000). Conclusion: Social media use and interpersonal needs among those who attempted suicide were found to be significantly higher. Additionally, the use of social media has been found to be the most effective factor in finding suicide capability - fearlessness about death.
Keywords : Kişilerarası ihtiyaçlar, intihar yeteneği, engellenmiş aidiyet, başkalarına yük olma