Using Search Engine Data for Detection and Early Intervention in Suicide Prevention
Principal Investigator: Patrica Areán, PhD
Co-Investigators: Kate Comtois, PhD, MPH, Abhi Pratap, PhD, Trevor Cohen, MBChB, PhD, FACMI, & Courtney Bagge, PhD
Co-Investigators: Kate Comtois, PhD, MPH, Abhi Pratap, PhD, Trevor Cohen, MBChB, PhD, FACMI, & Courtney Bagge, PhD
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A cohort survey substudy of the Aftercare Focus Study to determine the feasibility and acceptability of using online information search behavior in the identification of risk for suicide attempts
Sixty-two participants who were suicide attempt survivors agreed to participate. Participants’ provided their opinions on internet search data for suicide prediction and intervention in a mixed methods interview and a subset agreed to donate their Google Search data through a secure pathway as well as their data from the larger study. Internet search activity was variable from person to person (Median = 2-24 searches per day). Changes in online search behavior proximal to suicide attempts were evident up to 60 days before attempt. For a subset of attempts (N=7/30, 23.3%) search features showed association from 2 months to a week before the attempt. The top 3 search constructs associated with attempts were online searching patterns (9/30 attempts, 30%) and semantic relatedness of search queries to suicide methods (7/30 attempts, 23.3%) and anger (7/30 attempts, 23.3%). 68% of participants indicated that use of this data for prevention purposes was acceptable and feasible, but concerns were raised about detection accuracy, privacy and potential for overly invasive intervention. The research team has applied for funding of a fully powered study. |
Recruitment
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Completed |
Research Team
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Patricia Areán, PhD |
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Sage Bionetworks
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Abhi Pratap, PhD
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Trevor Cohen, MBChB, PhD, FACMI |
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Courtney Bagge, PhD |
Funding
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Verily |
