Online Suicide Prevention Campaign Aimed at Men

Evaluation of an Online Suicide Prevention Campaign Aimed at Men to Promote Help-seeking and Peer Support

This study aims to examine whether the online suicide prevention campaign for men could increase openness about emotions and help-seeking behavior, and decrease hopelessness and adherence to traditional gender norms concerning self-reliance among men. The effectiveness of the campaign will be evaluated in adult men using a pre-post questionnaire study design.

Participants in this group (all participants) were asked to complete a questionnaire and then received access to the online prevention campaign during three days, after which they were asked to complete another questionnaire.

The online prevention campaign consists of two campaign videos, a website with information about suicide prevention and mental health tailored to men, and testimonials of men who struggled with their mental health.

The CMNI is a 22 item scale to measure adherence to traditional Western masculine norms and values across 11 domains. The self-reliance scale consists of 5 items measured on a 4-point Likert scale (1= strongly disagree to 4= strongly agree).

The GHSQ measures two aspects of help-seeking, namely when facing personal or emotional problems and when facing suicidal ideation. For each aspect participants indicate how likely (1= extremely unlikely, 7= extremely likely) it is that they would seek help from different kind of sources (10 types).

Change in Openness about emotions: scales "Communication and Expression of Emotions" and "Normative Restrictions of Affectivity" of the Dimensions of Openness to Emotions (DOE)

The Dimensions of Openness to Emotions is a 36 item questionnaire measuring emotional openness. The "Communication and Expression of Emotions" and "Normative Restrictions of Affectivity" consist of, respectively, 7 and 5 items to be scored on a 5-point Likert scale (0=not at all, 4= completely)

A 4-item self-report questionnaire to measure hopelessness in adolescents and adults. Each item is rated as 'true' (score = 1) or 'false' (score = 0) for them over the past week, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating higher levels of hopelessness.

A 10-item questionnaire measuring distress. Each item is scored on a 5-point Likert (1=never, 5=always)

A 5-item questionnaire to measure presence of suicidal thoughts and the severity of these thoughts. Each item is scored on a 11-point Likert scale. Participants were asked whether they ever had had suicidal thoughts (if yes, in the last 12 months?) and whether they ever (if yes, in the last 12 months?) had attempted suicide.

14 evaluative statements about the general campaign and specific aspects of the campaign to be rated on a 5-point Likert scale (Totally disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, totally disagree). Additionally three open questions where participants can give feedback about what they liked/did not like/ general comments.

Inclusion Criteria: Gender identity: male ≥ 18 years old Have access to internet and a computer/tablet/smartphone Speak Dutch Exclusion Criteria: Gender identity: female or other < 18 years old No acces to internet and a computer/tablet/smartphone Non-Dutch speaking