BACKGROUND
Given that signage, messaging, or advertisements are the gateway to many interventions in suicide prevention, it is important that we understand what type of messaging works best for whom.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether explicitly mentioning suicide increased engagement by using internet ads, by investigating engagement with campaigns with different categories of keywords searched, which may reflect different cognitive states.
METHODS
We ran a two-arm study Australia-wide, with or without advertisements featuring explicit suicide wording. We analysed whether there were differences in engagement for campaigns with explicit and non-explicit advertisements for low-risk (distressed but not explicitly suicidal), high-risk (explicitly suicidal) and help-seeking for suicide keywords.
RESULTS
Our analyses revealed that having explicit wording has opposite effects depending on the search terms used: explicit wording reduces the engagement rate for individuals searching for low-risk keywords but increases engagement for those using high-risk keywords.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that individuals who are aware of their suicidality respond better to campaigns that explicitly use the word suicide. It was found that individuals who were searching for low-risk keywords also responded to the explicit advertisement, suggesting some individuals are searching for low-risk keywords that are experiencing suicidality. Implications and future directions are discussed.