It Gets Better Videos for Suicide Prevention in LGBTIQ+ Adolescents

Abstract

Abstract. Background: The It Gets Better project aims to help prevent suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) adolescents. It features personal video narratives portraying how life gets better when struggling with adversities. Research on the contents of messages is scarce. Aims: We aimed to explore the content of videos in the Austrian It Gets Better project regarding the representation of various LGBTIQ+ groups and selected content characteristics. Method: A content analysis of all German-language videos was conducted ( N = 192). Messages related to coming out, stressors experienced, suicidal ideation/behavior, and on how things get better were coded. Results: Representation was strong for gay men ( n = 45; 41.7%). Coming out to others was mainly positively framed ( n = 31; 46.3%) and seen as a tool to make things better ( n = 27; 37.5%). Social support ( n = 42; 62.7%) and self-acceptance ( n = 37; 55.2%) were prevalent topics. Common stressors included a conservative setting ( n = 18, 26.9%), and fear of outing ( n = 17; 25.4%). Suicidality ( n = 9; 4.7%) and options to get professional help ( n = 7; 8.2%) were rarely addressed. Limitations: Only aspects explicitly brought up in the videos were codeable. Conclusion: Videos do not fully represent gender identities and sexual orientations. Messaging on suicidality and professional help require strengthening to tailor them better for suicide prevention.

Acceptability, Safety, and Resonance of the Pilot Digital Suicide Prevention Campaign “Better Off With You”: Qualitative Study

“…Not only was the peer-to-peer approach seen to be an authentic and acceptable, participants felt that a campaign where the message was delivered by another person, such as a family member or friend, would not be as powerful. Our findings contribute new insights and knowledge about the design elements required for developing effective lived experience suicide prevention videos, as shown in recent studies reporting on the effectiveness of videos targeting farmers [ 28 ] and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer communities [ 29 ]. These findings also suggest that a third-person approach, while well intentioned, may not engage the target audience of those contemplating suicide effectively.…”

Perceptions of LGBQ+ youth and experts of suicide prevention video messages targeting LGBQ+ youth: qualitative study

“…As described in a previous analysis [28], videos in the IGBP Austria were heterogeneous, ranging from short inputs of a few seconds with calls to "hang in there" to detailed personal narratives of how to cope with adversities. Based on potential beneficial effects of media messages covering ways how to cope with suicidal ideation [39], we defined the following criteria beforehand to do a first pre-selection of videos for the focus groups: (i) the video features at least one LGBQ+ person; (ii) the focus is on a personal narrative; (iii) the focus is on difficulties during adolescence and/or during coming-out; and (iv) emphasis is put on how things got better.…”

“…• Provide resources to professional help services in the videos in order to assist with suicidal ideation and behaviors video messages typically focused on adversities such as bullying, whereas the Austrian IGBP was focused on coming out stories linked with hopeful messages [28].…”

“…In terms of video contents in the IGBP, there is one study available that analyzed the contents of Germanlanguage videos [28], and several studies on American IGBP videos [9,23,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. The Austrian IGBP was found to mainly focus on personal narratives related to coming out and instilling hope.…”

“…The Austrian IGBP was found to mainly focus on personal narratives related to coming out and instilling hope. Self-acceptance and having a supportive environment are typically highlighted as crucial factors for making life better in the videos, whereas questions on how to resolve a suicidal crisis as well as resources for getting professional help were only rarely addressed [28].…”