Kruzan, K. P., Whitlock, J., Bazarova, N. N., Bhandari, A., & Chapman, J. (2022).
Use of a mobile peer support app among young people with nonsuicidal self-injury: Small-scale randomized controlled trial. JMIR Formative Research, 6(1), Article e26526. https://doi.org/10.2196/26526
Type of Study:
Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants:
131
Population:
- Age — 16–25 years
- Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
- Gender — 89 Female, 24 Male, 15 Nonbinary, and 3 Other
- Status — Participants were individuals with current (within 3 months) and chronic (>6 episodes in the past year) nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) history.
Location/Institution:
North America, European Union, and United Kingdom
Summary:
(To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to provide preliminary insight into the shorter and longer-term efficacy of the use of a peer support app, TalkLife, in reducing nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) frequency and urges and increasing readiness to change. In addition, contact with informal support, interest in therapy, and attitudes toward professional help–seeking were explored. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (TalkLife) or to a control group. Measures utilized include the Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire and the Non-Suicidal Self-Injury-Assessment Tool (NSSI-AT). Results indicate that there was a significant effect of condition on NSSI frequency, such that the participants using the peer support app (TalkLife) self-injured less over the course of the study than those in the control condition. Results also evidenced a significant condition effect of readiness to change, such that the treatment participants (TalkLife) reported greater confidence in their ability to change their NSSI behavior than the control participants. No significant differences were observed for contact with informal support, interest in therapy, or attitudes toward professional help–seeking. Limitations include the study is underpowered to detect small effect sizes, the sample may have been more motivated to engage in research (and thus with the intervention) than the average individual engaging in NSSI, and exclusion criteria affect the generalizability of findings to individuals with more severe suicidality.
Length of controlled postintervention follow-up:
1 and 2 months.
