Suicidal behaviour: understanding the process of online help-seeking in adolescents and young adults

• Author / Creator

  Lux, Tara M.

• Young people are accessing the Internet for help with their suicidal state; yet, little is known about how the online help-seeking process occurs in suicidal adolescents and young adults. The present study explored this topic by interviewing Canadian’s who experienced the suicidal state as adolescents and young adults. Grounded theory approach was employed to both describe and explain the online help-seeking process for suicidal behaviours in young people. The main phenomenon revealed in this study was the online help-seeking experience as a desire to escape the pain of the suicidal state. Several conditions, actions/interactions, and consequences related to this central category, building toward a grounded theory of online help-seeking in suicidal young people. The implications of these findings are to enhance the current understanding of help-seeking behaviour in suicidal young people and emphasize how the Internet can be used for suicide prevention.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Internet
  • Adults
  • Suicide
  • Help-Seeking
  • Adolescents

• Graduation date

  Fall 2011

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Education

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3Z343

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.