Who seeks help online? Comparing online and offline help-seeking preferences amongst youths with suicidal ideation

Wong, Kelly Tsz Ching; Chan, Cecilia L. W.; Chan, Milton; Wong, Clifford; Cheng, Qijin; Xiong, Cynthia; Yip, Paul S. F.

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.05.056

Cited by 24 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…First, those who use Open Up are not representative of the general public. The service is mainly for youth and young adults who are seeking psychological support; they might be relatively more vulnerable than the general public and those who seek help from other face-to-face channels (Wong, Chan et al, 2021 ; Wong, Wong et al, 2021 ). Their perception of the pandemic and its corresponding stressors might be different from those who do not, or do not need to, seek professional services.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, this likelihood is attenuated by (1) the vaccination scheme in Hong Kong did not start until 22 February 2021 (Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 2021 ), which was after the study period; and (2) the age groups in question were relatively skeptical about the COVID vaccines. Many Hong Kong residents, especially young people, were concerned about the safety issues caused by the haste in the development of the vaccines (Luk et al, 2021 ; Wong, Chan et al, 2021 ; Wong, Wong et al, 2021 ; Yan, Lai, & Lee, 2021 ). This skepticism was reflected in the slow vaccination uptake.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variability in the psychological impact of four waves of COVID-19: a time-series study of 60 000 text-based counseling sessions

Chan

Yang

et al. 2022

Psychol. Med.

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BackgroundContinuous exposure to stressors can lead to vulnerability and, in some cases, resilience. This study examined the variation in its psychological impact across the first four waves of COVID-19 in Hong Kong. MethodsTranscripts from Open Up, an online text-based counseling service, between January 2019 and January 2021 were analyzed (N = 60,775). We identified COVID-19 mentioned sessions using keywords and further categorized them into those that also mentioned symptoms of common mental disorders and those that did not. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models were used to analyze the associations between the severity of the outbreak and the mention of COVID-19 and common mental disorders. ResultsResults revealed that the pandemic led to increased psychological distress. Compared to prior to its advent, more people sought help in the initial months of the outbreak. Furthermore, associations were found between the severity of the outbreak and the number of help-seeker mentioning the pandemic, as well as between the outbreak severity and the number of helpseekers disclosing psychological distress. However, these relationships were not uniform across the four waves of outbreaks; a dissociation between outbreak severity and help-seekers' concern was found in the fourth wave. ConclusionAs the pandemic waxes and wanes, people may become habituated to its psychological toll. This may be interpreted as a form of resilience. Instead of worsening with time, the psychological impact of COVID-19 may reduce with repeated exposure.https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability in the psychological impact of four waves of COVID-19: a time-series study of 60 000 text-based counseling sessions

Chan

Yang

et al. 2022

Psychol. Med.

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“…When young people have emotional disorders due to IPV, they might experience negative emotions, which in turn may exacerbate emotional regulation difficulties, leading to a need for external support and intervention. Wong et al [ 9 ] have demonstrated a strong relationship between mental health and help-seeking preferences. The perceived benefits of online compared to face-to-face support include anonymity, ease of access, immediacy, and the opportunity to connect with those who have had similar experiences [ 7 ].…”

Section: Hypotheses Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These oriental cultural norms have the potential to impede help-seeking preferences and behaviors [ 8 ]. Compared with western communities, individuals from Asia have more concern about “face”, feel greater discomfort in self-disclosure, and perceive fewer benefits of help-seeking [ 9 ]. Wong et al [ 8 ] proposed that the anonymous nature of online help may be especially attractive to Asians with mental health concerns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Intimate Partner Violence and Online Help-Seeking: A Moderated Mediation Model of Emotion Dysregulation and Perceived Anonymity

Zeng

Chen

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns and isolation have limited the availability of face-to-face support services for victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Despite the growing need for online help in supporting IPV victims, far less is known about the underlying mechanisms between IPV and online help-seeking. We studied the mediating role of emotion dysregulation (ED) and the moderating role of perceived anonymity (PA) on the internet to explain IPV victims’ willingness of online help-seeking (WOHS). Through a PROCESS analysis of the questionnaire data (n = 510, 318 female, 192 male, Mage = 22.41 years), the results demonstrate that: (1) ED has been linked with the experience of IPV, and IPV significantly induces ED. (2) When IPV victims realize the symptoms of ED, they have a strong willingness to seek external intervention to support themselves. ED mediates the relationship between IPV and online help-seeking. (3) For youth growing up in the era of social networking sites (SNS), personal privacy protection is an important factor when seeking online help. The anonymity of the internet has a positive effect on victims who experience IPV and ED, and it increases WOHS. This study introduces a new perspective on the psychological mechanism behind IPV victims’ help-seeking behaviors, and it suggests that the improvement of anonymity in online support can be an effective strategy for assisting IPV victims.

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“…The anonymity of online services may also enhance young peoples’ sense of comfort and autonomy, which in turn facilitate self-disclosure [ 9 ]. The provision of anonymous text messaging services through social media or web portals appears to facilitate help-seeking among youths [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Opportunities and Challenges of the First Three Years of Open Up, an Online Text-Based Counselling Service for Youth and Young Adults

Yip

Chan²,

Chan

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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We present the opportunities and challenges of Open Up, a free, 24/7 online text-based counselling service to support youth in Hong Kong. The number of youths served more than doubled within the first three years since its inception in 2018 in response to increasing youth suicidality and mental health needs. Good practice models are being developed in order to sustain and further scale up the service. We discuss the structure of the operation, usage pattern and its effectiveness, the use of AI to improve users experience, and the role of volunteer in the operation. We also present the challenges in further enhancing the operation, calling for more research, especially on the identification of the optimal number of users that can be concurrently served by a counsellor, the effective approach to respond to a small percentage of repeated users who has taken up a disproportional volume of service, and the way to optimize the use of big data analytics and AI technology to enhance the service. These advancements will benefit not only Open Up but also similar services across the globe.

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Who seeks help online? Comparing online and offline help-seeking preferences amongst youths with suicidal ideation

Cited by 24 publications

References 51 publications

Variability in the psychological impact of four waves of COVID-19: a time-series study of 60 000 text-based counseling sessions

Variability in the psychological impact of four waves of COVID-19: a time-series study of 60 000 text-based counseling sessions

The Relationship between Intimate Partner Violence and Online Help-Seeking: A Moderated Mediation Model of Emotion Dysregulation and Perceived Anonymity

The Opportunities and Challenges of the First Three Years of Open Up, an Online Text-Based Counselling Service for Youth and Young Adults

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