Table 1.
Proportions of male and female participants who had (a) encountered sites with suicide/self-harm related content, or (b) searched the Internet for information about suicide/self-harm, or (c) discussed self-harm or suicidal feelings using the Internet, and the types of sites they encountered.
| Suicide/self-harm related Internet use, age 21 years | Total sample N=3946 | Males N=1536 | Females N=2410 | P value⁎ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any suicide/self-harm related Internet use | 886 (22.5%) | 309 (20.1%) | 577 (23.9%) | 0.005 |
| Seen sites/chatrooms discussing suicide/self-harm | 470 (11.9%) | 159 (10.4%) | 311 (12.9%) | 0.016 |
| Looked for information about self-harm using search engine | 323 (8.2%) | 81 (5.3%) | 242 (10.0%) | <0.001 |
| Looked for information about suicide using search engine | 296 (7.5%) | 99 (6.5%) | 197 (8.2%) | 0.044 |
| Used Internet to discuss self-harm or suicidal feelings | 357 (9.1%) | 118 (7.7%) | 239 (9.9%) | 0.017 |
| Type of site | ||||
| News reports about people who have hurt or killed themselves | 427 (10.8%) | 144 (9.4%) | 283 (11.7%) | 0.020 |
| Personal accounts of people who have hurt themselves | 358 (9.1%) | 121 (7.9%) | 237 (9.8%) | 0.037 |
| General information about self-harm or suicide | 402 (10.2%) | 129 (8.4%) | 273 (11.3%) | 0.003 |
| Sites dedicated to those who self-harm | 175 (4.4%) | 44 (2.9%) | 131 (5.4%) | <0.001 |
| Sites offering help, advice, or support | 323 (8.2%) | 86 (5.6%) | 237 (9.8%) | <0.001 |
| Information on how to hurt or kill yourself | 123 (3.1%) | 36 (2.3%) | 87 (3.6%) | 0.026 |
⁎
Difference between males and females.