ArticleJMIR formative research2025
Automated Digital Safety Planning Interventions for Young Adults: Qualitative Study Using Online Co-design Methods.
Article in JMIR formative research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Community-based mental health interventions for reducing youth suicidal thoughts and behaviours: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- The #chatsafe Youth Participation Model: Evaluating Participatory Workshops Involving Young People in the Design of Suicide Prevention Initiatives.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Exploring barriers to crisis support: Considerations for the design of automated digital safety planning interventions.Journal of technology in behavioral science · 2026Article
- Safety Planning for Youth in the Emergency Department Who Have Suicide Risk.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2025Article
- Designing Digital Mental Health Tools to Support the Needs of Black Adults in the United States: Qualitative Analysis.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundYoung adults in the United States are experiencing accelerating rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors but have the lowest rates of formal mental health care. Digital suicide prevention interventions have the potential to increase access to suicide prevention care by circumventing attitudinal and structural barriers that prevent access to formal mental health care. These tools should be designed in collaboration with young adults who have lived experience of suicide-related thoughts and behaviors to optimize acceptability and use.
objectiveThis study aims to identify the needs, preferences, and features for an automated SMS text messaging-based safety planning service to support the self-management of suicide-related thoughts and behaviors among young adults.
methodsWe enrolled 30 young adults (age 18-24 years) with recent suicide-related thoughts and behaviors to participate in asynchronous remote focus groups via an online private forum. Participants responded to researcher-posted prompts and were encouraged to reply to fellow participants-creating a threaded digital conversation. Researcher-posted prompts centered on participants' experiences with suicide-related thought and behavior-related coping, safety planning, and technologies for suicide-related thought and behavior self-management. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis to extract key needs, preferences, and feature considerations for an automated SMS text messaging-based safety planning tool.
resultsYoung adult participants indicated that an automated digital SMS text message-based safety planning intervention must meet their needs in 2 ways. First, by empowering them to manage their symptoms on their own and support acquiring and using effective coping skills. Second, by leveraging young adults' existing social connections. Young adult participants also shared 3 key technological needs of an automated intervention: (1) transparency about how the intervention functions, the kinds of actions it does and does not take, the limits of confidentiality, and the role of human oversight within the program; (2) strong privacy practices-data security around how content within the intervention and how private data created by the intervention would be maintained and used was extremely important to young adult participants given the sensitive nature of suicide-related data; and (3) usability, convenience, and accessibility were particularly important to participants-this includes having an approachable and engaging message tone, customizable message delivery options (eg, length, number, content focus), and straightforward menu navigation. Young adult participants also highlighted specific features that could support core coping skill acquisition (eg, self-tracking, coping skill idea generation, reminders).
conclusionsEngaging young adults in the design process of a digital suicide prevention tool revealed critical considerations that must be addressed if the tool is to effectively expand access to evidence-based care to reach young people at risk for suicide-related thoughts and behaviors. Specifically, automated digital safety planning interventions must support building skillfulness to cope effectively with suicidal crises, deepening interpersonal connections, system transparency, and data privacy.
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