The influence of social media use on attitude toward suicide through psychological well-being, social isolation, and social support

Abstract

Analyzing national online panel survey data in South Korea, this study explored how social media use is associated with attitude toward suicide. Furthermore, we examined the mediating paths by which social media use is associated with the formation of one's attitude toward suicide mediated by psychological well-being, social support, and social isolation. The study found that psychological well-being and social isolation mediated the relationship between social media use and attitude toward suicide. Social media use was positively associated with psychological well-being and negatively associated with social isolation. A higher level of psychological well-being was related to negative attitude toward suicide, whereas a higher level of social isolation was associated with positive attitude toward suicide. This study provides an understanding of the impact of social media use on attitude toward suicide and implications for suicide-prevention strategy using social media.