ArticleJMIR human factors2026
Investigating the Impact of Lived Experience Stories on Self-Harm, Mood, and Help-Seeking Intentions: Web-Based Between-Participants Experimental Study in Individuals With Recent Self-Harm.
Article in JMIR human factors, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Investigating the Impact of Lived Experience Stories on Self-Harm, Mood, and Help-Seeking Intentions: Web-Based Between-Participants Experimental Study in Individuals With Recent Self-Harm.JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- Investigating How People Who Self-harm Evaluate Web-Based Lived Experience Stories: Focus Group Study.JMIR mental health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLived experience stories are often used on formal help sites as a support resource for individuals who self-harm. While self-harm-related internet use provides an alternative for individuals who are not yet ready or are unwilling or unable to access support offline, it has also been shown to unintentionally reinforce self-harm behavior. There are several components that might influence whether a lived experience story is perceived as helpful, unhelpful, or potentially harmful, and the evidence supporting that these encourage help-seeking in the reader is limited.
objectiveThis study is part of a mixed methods project that aimed to investigate how variations in help-seeking messages contained within online lived experience stories are interpreted by and psychologically impact those with a history of self-harm.
methodsIndividuals with a recent history of self-harm were recruited via newsletters, social media, and websites run by the university and mental health charities to take part in an online experiment. During the experiment, participants were randomized to read stories that either mentioned (1) self-help strategies, (2) seeking help from informal and formal sources, or (3) did not mention help-seeking. Help-seeking intentions, mood, entrapment, and expectations of future self-harm were measured, and participants provided feedback on the stories.
resultsThere was limited evidence for an effect of story type on help-seeking intentions (F
conclusionsWhile the inclusion of self-help strategies in a lived experience story reduced its impact on negative affect, the inclusion of self-help strategies or seeking help from others did not encourage help-seeking intentions. Making stories relatable, authentic, and providing multiple strategies for support might be key to encouraging help-seeking, but more research is needed.
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