Bethany Cliffe, Emma Moore, Kathryn Whittle and Paul Stallard 2024. Is a smartphone application (BlueIce) acceptable and safe for university students who self-harm: an open study. BMJ Open. 14 e069862. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069862
| Title | Is a smartphone application (BlueIce) acceptable and safe for university students who self-harm: an open study |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Bethany Cliffe, Emma Moore, Kathryn Whittle and Paul Stallard |
| Abstract | Background Many university students self-harm but few receive support. Smartphone apps have been identified as acceptable sources of support for students who self-harm, but the use of supportive self-harm apps is yet to be explored in this population. Objective This study sought to explore the acceptability and safety of a specific app (BlueIce) for university students who self-harm. Methods This was an exploratory, mixed methods study with 15 university students attending university well-being services with self-harming thoughts and/or behaviours. BlueIce was offered alongside the face-to-face support provided by the well-being service. Self-harming thoughts and behaviours, coping self-efficacy, and symptoms of anxiety and depression were measured before and after using BlueIce for 6 weeks. Follow-up interviews were also undertaken to explore how students perceived BlueIce in more depth. Results Following app use, there were statistically significant reductions in symptoms of anxiety (baseline M 12.47, SD 4.42; follow-up M 10, SD 4.16) t(14)=2.26, p=0.040, d=0.58 and depression (baseline M 16.5, SD 5.17, follow-up M 12.27, SD 3.66) t(13)=5.50, p<0.001, d=1.47. Qualitative findings showed participants found BlueIce to be acceptable, safe and helpful, and reported that they were more able to cope with difficult feelings and better understand their self-harm triggers following use of the app. Conclusion BlueIce was an acceptable, safe and helpful source of support for university students struggling with self-harm thoughts and/or behaviours. This builds on previous findings with adolescents and suggests that BlueIce could be a particularly acceptable and helpful resource for university students. |
| Article number | e069862 |
| Journal | BMJ Open |
| Journal citation | 14 |
| ISSN | 2044-6055 |
| Year | 2024 |
| Publisher | BMJ |
| Publisher's version | License CC BY 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069862 |
| Web address (URL) | https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069862 |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 24 Apr 2024 |