Exploring the therapeutic affordances of self-harm online support communities: an online survey of members
Background: A growing number of online communities have been established to support those who self-harm. However, little is known about the therapeutic affordances arising from engagement with these communities and resulting outcomes. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the presence o...
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| Format: | Article |
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JMIR Publications
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47285/ |
| _version_ | 1848797508206067712 |
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| author | Coulson, Neil S. Bullock, Emma Rodham, Karen |
| author_facet | Coulson, Neil S. Bullock, Emma Rodham, Karen |
| author_sort | Coulson, Neil S. |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background: A growing number of online communities have been established to support those who self-harm. However, little is known about the therapeutic affordances arising from engagement with these communities and resulting outcomes.
Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the presence of therapeutic affordances as reported by members of self-harm online support communities.
Methods: In total, 94 respondents (aged 13-63 years, mean=23.5 years; 94% female) completed an online survey exploring their experiences of engaging with a self-harm online support community. Respondents varied in terms of how long they had been accessing an online community, with 22% (21/94) accessing less than 1 year, 39% (37/94) 1 to 2 years, 14% (13/94) 2 to 3 years, and 24.5% (23/94) more than 3 years. Responses were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis.
Results: The results of our analysis describe each of the five therapeutic affordances that were present in the data, namely (1) connection, the ability to make contact with others who self-harm for the purposes of mutual support and in so doing reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation; (2) adaptation, that is, how use of online support varies in relation to the personal circumstances of the individual user; (3) exploration, that is, the ability to learn about self-harm and learn about strategies to reduce or stop self-harming behavior; (4) narration, that is, the ability to share experiences, as well as read about the experiences of others; and (5) self-presentation, that is, how and what users present about themselves to others in the online community.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that engagement with self-harm online support communities may confer a range of therapeutic benefits for some users, which may serve to minimize the psychosocial burden of self-harm and promote positive coping strategies. In addition, the online nature of the support available may be helpful to those who are unable to access face-to-face support. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:04:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-47285 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:04:59Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-472852020-05-04T19:12:19Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47285/ Exploring the therapeutic affordances of self-harm online support communities: an online survey of members Coulson, Neil S. Bullock, Emma Rodham, Karen Background: A growing number of online communities have been established to support those who self-harm. However, little is known about the therapeutic affordances arising from engagement with these communities and resulting outcomes. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the presence of therapeutic affordances as reported by members of self-harm online support communities. Methods: In total, 94 respondents (aged 13-63 years, mean=23.5 years; 94% female) completed an online survey exploring their experiences of engaging with a self-harm online support community. Respondents varied in terms of how long they had been accessing an online community, with 22% (21/94) accessing less than 1 year, 39% (37/94) 1 to 2 years, 14% (13/94) 2 to 3 years, and 24.5% (23/94) more than 3 years. Responses were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis. Results: The results of our analysis describe each of the five therapeutic affordances that were present in the data, namely (1) connection, the ability to make contact with others who self-harm for the purposes of mutual support and in so doing reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation; (2) adaptation, that is, how use of online support varies in relation to the personal circumstances of the individual user; (3) exploration, that is, the ability to learn about self-harm and learn about strategies to reduce or stop self-harming behavior; (4) narration, that is, the ability to share experiences, as well as read about the experiences of others; and (5) self-presentation, that is, how and what users present about themselves to others in the online community. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that engagement with self-harm online support communities may confer a range of therapeutic benefits for some users, which may serve to minimize the psychosocial burden of self-harm and promote positive coping strategies. In addition, the online nature of the support available may be helpful to those who are unable to access face-to-face support. JMIR Publications 2017-10-13 Article PeerReviewed Coulson, Neil S., Bullock, Emma and Rodham, Karen (2017) Exploring the therapeutic affordances of self-harm online support communities: an online survey of members. JMIR Mental Health, 4 (4). e44/1-e44/11. ISSN 2368-7959 Self-harm; Social network; Social support; Qualitative research; Online support group http://mental.jmir.org/2017/4/e44/ doi:10.2196/mental.8084 doi:10.2196/mental.8084 |
| spellingShingle | Self-harm; Social network; Social support; Qualitative research; Online support group Coulson, Neil S. Bullock, Emma Rodham, Karen Exploring the therapeutic affordances of self-harm online support communities: an online survey of members |
| title | Exploring the therapeutic affordances of self-harm online support communities: an online survey of members |
| title_full | Exploring the therapeutic affordances of self-harm online support communities: an online survey of members |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the therapeutic affordances of self-harm online support communities: an online survey of members |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the therapeutic affordances of self-harm online support communities: an online survey of members |
| title_short | Exploring the therapeutic affordances of self-harm online support communities: an online survey of members |
| title_sort | exploring the therapeutic affordances of self-harm online support communities: an online survey of members |
| topic | Self-harm; Social network; Social support; Qualitative research; Online support group |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47285/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47285/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47285/ |