Leveraging clinician and digital health expert perspectives to inform digital suicide prevention interventions for sexual and gender minority youth

Objective Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth face sharply elevated risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors; digital and/or mobile health interventions may offer a promising but underutilized approach for this high-risk population. This study aims to understand barriers and facilitators for the development and implementation of digital health interventions for suicide prevention in SGM youth (SGMY). Methods We conducted semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with 16 experts ( n =8 mental health clinicians, n =8 digital health experts). Participants were shown simulated ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data from SGMY with histories of suicidal ideation and asked to reflect on possibilities and challenges of translating such real-time digital data into future digital health interventions. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Results Thematic analysis identified 17 key themes that have been organized across four overarching domains: (1) suitability of digital suicide prevention interventions for SGMY; (2) benefits and opportunities of digital health interventions; (3) concerns and challenges of digital health interventions; and (4) recommendations for future digital suicide prevention interventions. Conclusion Clinicians and digital health experts broadly support the use of digital health for suicide prevention among SGMY but highlight unique challenges and concerns regarding implementation. Findings from this study can directly inform the development of future digital interventions for this underserved and high-risk population.