Discussion Research Study Opportunity: **U.S. Participants Only** (Admin/Moderator Approved)

[alep]

Hello SaSu Community,

I have received special permission through the admin and moderators to post this. I'm a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno, conducting a confidential online research study about how people engage with suicide-related content on social media and how it may impact mental health, social comparison, and feelings of belonging.

We're looking for adults (18+) who currently reside in the U.S. and:
• Have used social media in the past 3 months
• Have experienced suicidal thoughts in the past 3 months
• Have viewed or interacted with suicide-related content online

The study is fully anonymous and takes about 25–30 minutes. It includes questions about your experiences online and your emotional well-being. As a thank you for your time, you'll be entered into a raffle for one of eight $50 gift cards—that's a one-in-25 chance to win! You do not need to share personal information unless you want to be entered in the drawing. We accept throwaway or alternate email addresses.

You will be asked to provide your email on a separate, unlinked form to protect your privacy. This is optional, but it ensures that your email address cannot be connected to your survey responses. All email addresses will be permanently deleted after the winners are selected.

https://unr.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1XkGnKA2BGP5Js2

Content warning: This survey includes questions about suicidal thoughts and experiences. You may exit at any time. Resources will be provided before, during, and after the study.

Thank you so much for considering, it means a lot. If you have any questions, please comment or message me privately.

Many thanks,
Alex

 

[noname223]

That's really interesting. I would consider to participate but I neither reside in the US nor do I use social media that much. Good luck with your study!

 

[alep]

Thank you so much!

 

[Redacted24]

Does using this site meet the requirement for social media use? Thanks.

 

[Thomas599]

I would participate too and I am a US Citizen who uses social media, but I work internationally and do not live in th US at the moment.

Good luck.

 

[alep]

Does using this site meet the requirement for social media use? Thanks.

Yes! We will count it as you can chat and browse content on here. :) Thank you for asking!

I would participate too and I am a US Citizen who uses social media, but I work internationally and do not live in th US at the moment.

Good luck.

No worries at all. Thank you for your reply and honesty!

 

[Redacted24]

Hi again, Alex... one follow up question (sorry)

When you've completed your research, would you be able to share it with us? Only if it's being published somewhere obviously.

Good luck with this!

 

[J&L383]

That's really interesting. I would consider to participate but I neither reside in the US nor do I use social media that much. Good luck with your study!

Isnt this social media? If so, how much is enough?

 

[alwaysalone]

This type of thing should not be allowed. It's never really anonymous. You just admitted you want email addresses. Also this type of survey is typically done in a supervised situation within the school or a lab like in a psychology department or a genuine school survey not some random person claiming to be a "student" at a university which is not known for psychology but IS well known for journalism.Definitely

 

[EternalShore]

This type of thing should not be allowed. It's never really anonymous. You just admitted you want email addresses. Also this type of survey is typically done in a supervised situation within the school or a lab like in a psychology department or a genuine school survey not some random person claiming to be a "student" at a university which is not known for psychology but IS well known for journalism.Definitely

I think the email addresses are so we can get the gift cards~ ^_^ Plus, it appears to have been approved by RainandSadness who really cares about privacy for herself and the forum members she can protect~ :)

 

[alwaysalone]

I think the email addresses are so we can get the gift cards~ ^_^

Yeah still weird and I can't believe this was allowed.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Definitely

Well, you can't say it doesn't fit in with the fishy, AND SHADY, sellers of SN that have come and gone through here, not to mention the fishy AND STINKY sellers of N that are no more. I suppose I'd be remiss if I didn't mention all the SUPER fishy accounts on here filled with anti-choice zealots. I guess this place is just one BIG fish market.......

 

[divinemistress36]

I better win lol

 

[alwaysalone]

Well, you can't say it doesn't fit in with the fishy, AND SHADY, sellers of SN that have come and gone through here, not to mention the fishy AND STINKY sellers of N that are no more. I suppose I'd be remiss if I didn't mention all the SUPER fishy accounts on here filled with anti-choice zealots. I guess this place is just one BIG fish market.......

I don't know anything about your first two examples. If you're trying to insinuate I have tried to sell sn or n you're so very wrong. Your third comment seems to insinuate I'm anti-choice. If that's your belief than so be it. I don't know what to tell you. Sorry if I'm off base tone of voice means nothing and the italics frankly confuse me as they're often used for irony or sarcasm.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

The raffle should have been for 8 bottles of Nembutal.

If you're trying to insinuate I have tried to sell sn or n you're so very wrong

Where the fuck do you get that out of what I said?¿ You need to get a grip man.

 

[divinemistress36]

The raffle should have been for 8 bottles of Nembutal.

Where the fuck do you get that out of what I said?¿ You need to get a grip man.

Since the gift card is for Amazon it would be funny if SN was still sold on there

 

[alep]

Hi again, Alex... one follow up question (sorry)

When you've completed your research, would you be able to share it with us? Only if it's being published somewhere obviously.

Good luck with this!

I am going to use this for my thesis project. I would love to share my findings!

Yeah still weird and I can't believe this was allowed.

Thank you for raising these concerns. I completely understand any hesitation, especially regarding sensitive topics and online safety.

To be clear, I am a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno, conducting this study under the supervision of a licensed faculty researcher and with IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval, which guarantees the ethical and confidential handling of all data. While we ask for emails, that's only for the gift incentive, and participants can use non-identifying or study-only email accounts. No names are collected, and no IP addresses are stored.

I am part of UNR's Human Development & Family Science program, where research on adolescent development and mental health is actively conducted. This is not a random or unofficial survey—I'm happy to verify my identity and share my IRB letter, faculty supervisor's contact info, and university webpage.

I understand if this still feels uncomfortable, and I appreciate your caution. My intent is not to mislead or overstep boundaries, just to contribute respectfully and transparently to suicide prevention research. This research is being utilized for my Master's thesis.

Isnt this social media? If so, how much is enough?

Great question! This does count, and there is no limit. Just as long as you have used it once in the last three months

 

[notreallybored]

This type of thing should not be allowed. It's never really anonymous. You just admitted you want email addresses. Also this type of survey is typically done in a supervised situation within the school or a lab like in a psychology department or a genuine school survey not some random person claiming to be a "student" at a university which is not known for psychology but IS well known for journalism.Definitely

ב''ה,
Giving meth itself your personal information is not a good idea, particularly during the current US unrest. Though I'm sure there must be some folks just trying to get through school there like any other.

 

[Dot]

This type of thing should not be allowed. It's never really anonymous. You just admitted you want email addresses. Also this type of survey is typically done in a supervised situation within the school or a lab like in a psychology department or a genuine school survey not some random person claiming to be a "student" at a university which is not known for psychology but IS well known for journalism.Definitely

Slf hve also cmpletd th/ survy t/ chck thngs out & thy r usng Qualtrcs fr dta gathrng whch = th/ standrd applcatn usd b/ unverstis fr survys

Also stdies r only restrctd t/ lab wrk whn th/ stdy requres a lab fr in-persn rserch - & evn thn stdy rcruitmnt wll tke plce in publc plces - tht ws also th/ cse whn slf ws rcruitng fr slf own psych Msc dssertatn

Slf hve askd @rainwillneverstop abt th/ verfcatn & th/ postr hs apprntly bn verfid as b-ing a univrsty membr of th/ faclty tht thy r claimng - hnce nt journlsm

Partcpatn = volntry & usrs oftn sy tht thy wsh tht suicdl voics wre includd in rsearch & polcy - s/ as lng as stdies r nt postd xcessvly & thy r verfid as b-ing frm legitm8 acdemc orgnisatns thn slf cnnt persnlly C a problm

 

[rainwillneverstop]

This type of thing should not be allowed. It's never really anonymous. You just admitted you want email addresses. Also this type of survey is typically done in a supervised situation within the school or a lab like in a psychology department or a genuine school survey not some random person claiming to be a "student" at a university which is not known for psychology but IS well known for journalism.Definitely

I understand the scepticism.

But I can reassure we have received and reviewed documentation, and found no issues with posting.
We have confirmed the person is a student.

The university offers many majors, including psychology.
Journalism is just one of many.

 

[divinemistress36]

I am going to use this for my thesis project. I would love to share my findings!

Thank you for raising these concerns. I completely understand any hesitation, especially regarding sensitive topics and online safety.

To be clear, I am a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno, conducting this study under the supervision of a licensed faculty researcher and with IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval, which guarantees the ethical and confidential handling of all data. While we ask for emails, that's only for the gift incentive, and participants can use non-identifying or study-only email accounts. No names are collected, and no IP addresses are stored.

I am part of UNR's Human Development & Family Science program, where research on adolescent development and mental health is actively conducted. This is not a random or unofficial survey—I'm happy to verify my identity and share my IRB letter, faculty supervisor's contact info, and university webpage.

I understand if this still feels uncomfortable, and I appreciate your caution. My intent is not to mislead or overstep boundaries, just to contribute respectfully and transparently to suicide prevention research. This research is being utilized for my Master's thesis.

Great question! This does count, and there is no limit. Just as long as you have used it once in the last three months

This is cool..keep the research up

 

[alep]

This is cool..keep the research up

Thank you so much!

 

[alep]

We've had a great response rate so far—thank you! Still welcoming more if you're interested in participating.

 

[waistcoat]

This is very interesting. Can I ask why you have chosen SaSu over other websites for this study, or are you also using other websites within your study?

I am aware of some other suicide-discussion websites that are more tailored to prevention as opposed to completely free discussion; is that one of your reasons?

Also, will this research be published? I'd love to check it out ^-^

 

[SilentSadness]

Blatant attempt to farm email addresses from members, no suicide survey that was actually serious would ask for personal info for a "raffle", and lie about it by saying it's fully anonymous. Take the survey at your own peril.

 

[alep]

This is very interesting. Can I ask why you have chosen SaSu over other websites for this study, or are you also using other websites within your study?

I am aware of some other suicide-discussion websites that are more tailored to prevention as opposed to completely free discussion; is that one of your reasons?

Also, will this research be published? I'd love to check it out ^-^

I plan to publish this and use it for my Master's thesis project, and I can share it in this thread when that happens. :)

Blatant attempt to farm email addresses from members, no suicide survey that was actually serious would ask for personal info for a "raffle", and lie about it by saying it's fully anonymous. Take the survey at your own peril.

Hi! Thanks for voicing your concern.

The survey never asks for your name or email; all answers are stored without identifiers. At the end of the study, there's a separate, optional link if someone wants to enter a gift-card raffle. That second form collects an email solely so we can contact winners, and it's kept in a different, password-protected file that can't be matched to survey responses. So the email address is not needed and is entirely optional. You can also make a throwaway email if that is preferred.

I appreciate you helping keep the community safe!

 

[waistcoat]

I plan to publish this and use it for my Master's thesis project, and I can share it in this thread when that happens. :)

I won't be around long enough to see the fruitions of your research here, but I hope that you are able to uncover the true meaning of these spaces; rather than go along with the generic story of "suicide discussion bad".

I'm sure you will, but please when working through this data consider the evident bias in it; you are collecting responses from active users of these sites, and of that, specifically ones that are willing to engage with such a survey.

We aren't here because we randomly stumbled upon this website and then suddenly decided we wanted to kill ourselves.
We're here because we first decided we wanted to kill ourselves, and only then tried to find friends who are okay talking about that.

This community serves as more than just a place to discuss suicide. It is also a place for us to workshop methods on how to reduce the pain our passing will cause onto those around us, a place for us to find ways that help us hold off (or entirely prevent) our deaths, and most importantly (and commonly), find a way for us to pass in a way that we want, a way that will give us dignity in death.

Because at the end of the day, if we are going to die, we should be allowed to safely research the pros and cons of each potential way, and not go into it blindly. Some see suicide as a preventable tragedy, this website is primarily of the belief that suicide is in some cases not preventable, nor should such prevention be forced upon a person. We were all brought into this world against our will, some of us don't want to stick around much longer (for health reasons, depression, or otherwise apathy towards life) - and that shouldn't be something we're ostracised for feeling.

I don't know how your ethics board or citation requirements work, but if you wish to quote or reference this message by myself, or any of my other posts on this forum, you have my consent.

 

[Blurry_Buildings]

The feds are finally on to us!
jk I know they don't actually care lol

Your survey sounds really cool! I hope it goes well. I'll read your thesis if I am still alive when it's done. Please take care!

 

[TheVanishingPoint]

Mh... it vaguely smells like a horse , but let's not tell Troy .

 

[secretghost]

I took it and just didn't put my email in, I didn't have any problem on my end, it seemed to go through? I appreciate any and all research being done that could potentially save even one person from coming to a point in their life where they end up here if there's any additional voluntary anonymous research that I can participate in while I'm here, i would love to know
-h