Clinical trial NCT04601220: Social Media, Smartphone Use and Self-harm in Young People
Official title: Social Media, Smartphone Use and Self-harm in Young People
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Self-Harm, Deliberate
Keywords: Young adult
Adolescent
Social media
Smartphone
Mental health
Lead sponsor: King's College London
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2020-10-23
Enrollment: 388
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 13
Maximum age (years): 25
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Clinical sample

Brief summary: Self-harm is when somebody hurts their body as a way of coping with difficult feelings. Self-harm is becoming increasingly common in young people, particularly in adolescent females. The rise in self-harm has been linked to increasing use of social media and internet technology among young people. However, the evidence is limited to associations with poorer mental health outcomes rather than identifying particular aspects of using these technologies that can negatively impact on mental health.

This study aims to investigate how the use of social media and a smartphone may increase the risk of self-harm in young people by exploring changes in usage in the period leading up to an episode of self-harm. The information from this study will allow us to understand whether there are certain behaviours that are more likely to occur before an episode of self-harm. This will inform new strategies to identify and provide support to vulnerable young people. For example, linking young people with crisis support or empowering young people to make changes, manage their own risks and build resilience.

This study will recruit young people aged 13-25 years old who have accessed mental health services provided by an NHS Trust in South-East London. Young people will be invited to provide information on their mental health and social media and smartphone use over a period of six months.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion criteria

* Identified via SLaM's C4C patient research participation register or referral to the study team by their clinician.
* Aged 13-25 years old at the time of study approach.
* Accessed mental health services at SLaM in the last 12 months.
* Has capacity to consent (and an adult with parental responsibility for young people aged 13-15 years old). Mental capacity will be assumed unless evidence from a clinician or during contact with the study team suggests otherwise.

Exclusion criteria

* Unable to complete the questionnaires via the study software application or online survey platform.
* Admitted to an inpatient psychiatric ward, sectioned under the Mental Health Act or in prison at the time of approach.
* Clinician advises it is not appropriate to approach.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Self-harm event
timeFrame: 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Sleep disturbance symptoms
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: Depression symptoms
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: Anxiety symptoms
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: Loneliness symptoms
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: Experiences of being bullied
timeFrame: 6 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: London
country: United Kingdom
facility: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Study officials:
affiliation: King's College London
name: Rina Dutta
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Bye A, Carter B, Leightley D, Trevillion K, Liakata M, Branthonne-Foster S, Williamson G, Zenasni Z, Dutta R. Observational prospective study of social media, smartphone use and self-harm in a clinical sample of young people: study protocol. BMJ Open. 2023 Feb 1;13(2):e069748. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069748.
citation: Bye A, Carter B, Leightley D, Trevillion K, Liakata M, Branthonne-Foster S, Cross S, Zenasni Z, Carr E, Williamson G, Vega Viyuela A, Dutta R. Cohort profile: The Social media, smartphone use and Self-harm in Young People (3S-YP) study-A prospective, observational cohort study of young people in contact with mental health services. PLoS One. 2024 May 22;19(5):e0299059. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299059. eCollection 2024.