The Undergraduate Facebook Reactions study examined the reactions of college undergraduates to suicidality disclosed in a Facebook status update during an in vivo task and informed our understanding of the ways in which social media can be used in peer-to-peer suicide prevention.
The Simulated Facebook Newsfeed In Vivo Task
The Simulated Facebook Newsfeed In Vivo Task is research tool developed by Corbitt-Hall, Gauthier, Davis, and Witte (2016) to safely assess the ways in which research participants would react and respond to disclosure of mental health issues (e.g., suicidality, eating disorders, stress). Participants are asked to interact with a simulated newsfeed featuring ten different "friends" who each post two posts. Eighteen of these posts reflect ordinary life events (e.g., surprise from a loved one, sadness/loss, quizzes) that are typical of Facebook Newsfeeds. Two additional posts from the tenth friends disclose the mental health issue. Participants are able to comment on the post, send a private message to the content author, or report the content to Facebook. This task has been used in three empirical studies. For more information about using this task in your own research project, please contact Ms. Corbitt-Hall.
