@article{ref1,
title="Does social belonging to primary groups protect young people from the effects of pro-suicide sites?",
journal="Crisis",
year="2015",
author="Minkkinen, Jaana and Oksanen, Atte and Näsi, Matti and Keipi, Teo and Kaakinen, Markus and Räsänen, Pekka",
volume="37",
number="1",
pages="31-41",
abstract="BACKGROUND: The Internet has facilitated the existence of extreme and pathological communities that share information about ways to complete suicide or to deliberately harm or hurt oneself. This material is user-generated and easily accessible. AIMS: The present study analyzed the buffering effect of social belonging to a primary group in the situation of pro-suicide site exposure. <br><br>METHOD: Cross-national data were collected from the US, UK, Germany, and Finland in spring 2013 and 2014 from respondents aged 15-30 years (N = 3,567). Data were analyzed by using linear regression separately for women and men for each country. <br><br>RESULTS: A higher level of belonging to a primary group buffered the negative association of pro-suicide site exposure with mental health, measured as happiness, although the results were not consistent in the subgroups. US male subjects showed a significant buffering effect of the sense of belonging to family while the belonging to friends had a buffering effect among four other subgroups: British female and male subjects and Finnish female and male subjects. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The results underline the positive potential of primary groups to shield young people's mental health in the situation of pro-suicide site exposure.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0227-5910",
doi="10.1027/0227-5910/a000356",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000356"
}