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September 13, 2025Digital HealthOpen Access

‘I’ve seen you at your worst, but I still want to be your friend’: A qualitative study of peer support exchange from the perspective of participants in online communities centred around self-harming and suicidal behaviour

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Authors

MHMalene Eiberg HolmKJKim JørgensenKAKate Andreasson

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Overview

Qualitative study explores peer support dynamics in online groups for self-harming and suicidal behaviour, indicating valuable emotional connections.

Key Points

  • Peer support facilitates emotional sharing in online communities focused on self-harming and suicidal behaviour, fostering intimacy and belonging.
  • The study involved 13 in-depth interviews with participants experiencing self-harming and suicidal behaviour, highlighting key themes of anonymity and emotional burden.
  • Reflective thematic analysis was employed to uncover patterns in the participants' experiences, showing the complexities of online support.
  • Findings suggest that while online peer support offers connection, it may complicate recovery when members become overly reliant on these communities.

Cite This Study

Holm et al. (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68d41ee7713b0b5dfea68642https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251365075
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