The dynamics of social support among suicide attempters: A smartphone-based daily diary study

Daniel D.L. Coppersmith’s study advocates for the role of of social support in predicting at risk suicide behavior and pliancy; examining the daily fluctuations of recognized social support.

Over the course of 28 days, Daniel’s study used mEMA to examine the daily fluctuations of 53 adults who had attempted suicide within the past year, and capriciousness of social support was evaluated. The study used mEMA to create multi-dimensional models to recognize the association between social support and suicidal ideation.

Through the use of the mEMA application, the results of the study affirmed that a diversified range of social support is inversely associated with same day and next day suicidal ideation. However, not with next-day suicidal ideation after accustoming for same-day ideation. The study’s results revealed that social support is a time fluctuating protective factor for suicidal ideation.

Daniel D.L. Coppersmith

Department of Psychology, Harvard University