Comparing social media engagement between women with suicidal ideation and those who have attempted suicide

This study examined differences in social media engagement between women with suicidal ideation only (SI-only) and those who had attempted suicide (SA). We used content, statistical, and time series analyses on 3,510 tweets from 41 women in South Korea who had ideated and/or attempted suicide. Most tweets focused on everyday life and interests (38.0%, 1,355 tweets), while others expressed mental health distress and challenges (0.6%, 22), school or work-related stress (3.4%, 120), social relationship stress (1.5%, 52), and explicit suicidal statements (0.6%, 22). SI-only users posted the most on Saturdays, while SA users peaked on Sundays. Closer to the time of suicide, SA users increasingly posted explicit suicidal content, whereas SI-only users expressed more negative emotions. Our findings could help identify individuals at risk of suicide on social media, distinguishing between SI-only and SA users to inform better interventions.