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Sinyor M, Ekstein D, Prabaharan N, Fiksenbaum L, Vandermeer C, Schaffer A, Pirkis J, Heisel MJ, Goldstein BI, Redelmeier DA, Taylor P, Niederkrotenthaler T. Changes in Media Reporting Quality and Suicides Following National Media Engagement on Responsible Reporting of Suicide in Canada: Changements de la Qualité des reportages dans les médias sur les suicides suite à l'engagement des médias nationaux à la déclaration responsable du suicide au Canada. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY. REVUE CANADIENNE DE PSYCHIATRIE 2024; 69:358-368. [PMID: 38174363 PMCID: PMC11032096 DOI: 10.1177/07067437231223334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Responsible media reporting is an accepted strategy for preventing suicide. In 2015, suicide prevention experts launched a media engagement initiative aimed at improving suicide-related reporting in Canada; its impact on media reporting quality and suicide deaths is unknown. METHOD This pre-post observational study examined changes in reporting characteristics in a random sample of suicide-related articles from major publications in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) media market. Articles (n = 900) included 450 from the 6-year periods prior to and after the initiative began. We also examined changes in suicide counts in the GTA between these epochs. We used chi-square tests to analyse changes in reporting characteristics and time-series analyses to identify changes in suicide counts. Secondary outcomes focused on guidelines developed by media professionals in Canada and how they may have influenced media reporting quality as well as on the overarching narrative of media articles during the most recent years of available data. RESULTS Across-the-board improvement was observed in suicide-related reporting with substantial reductions in many elements of putatively harmful content and substantial increases in all aspects of putatively protective content. However, overarching article narratives remained potentially harmful with 55.2% of articles telling the story of someone's death and 20.8% presenting an other negative message. Only 3.6% of articles told a story of survival. After controlling for potential confounders, a nonsignificant numeric decrease in suicide counts was identified after initiative implementation (ω = -5.41, SE = 3.43, t = 1.58, p = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS We found evidence that a strategy to engage media in Canada changed the content of reporting, but there was only a nonsignificant trend towards fewer suicides. A more fundamental change in media narratives to focus on survival rather than death appears warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Sinyor
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Daniella Ekstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Nivetha Prabaharan
- Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Caroline Vandermeer
- Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Ayal Schaffer
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jane Pirkis
- Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Marnin J. Heisel
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Benjamin I. Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder, Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada
| | - Donald A. Redelmeier
- Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Paul Taylor
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
- Unit Suicide Research and Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
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Basnet M, Thapa P, Shakya DR, Nepal S, Rai N, Shrestha KK. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Media Reporting on Suicide among Media Persons of a Province. JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc 2024; 62:129-135. [PMID: 38409994 PMCID: PMC10924522 DOI: 10.31729/jnma.8000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Suicide is a global public health problem. Sensible media reporting on suicide could be useful in suicide prevention. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding media reporting on suicide among media persons of a province. Methods A qualitative study was done among media persons of the province after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee. Data was collected through online platform using Google form from 15 April 2022 and 15 January 2023. A convenience sampling method was used. Descriptive statistics were used for the data analysis. Results Among 165 media persons, 54 (32%) of the participants either agreed to or were neutral about prominently reporting suicide news, and 47 (28.48%) were undecided or agreed about mentioning the details of the event. Only 50 (30.30%) thought that it is always possible to help a person with suicidal thoughts. A total of 48 (29.09%) always reported providing information about where to seek help in case one is suicidal. Conclusions Media personnel were found to possess better knowledge about suicide reporting but exhibited inadequate practice in terms of providing method and site details and promoting support services, alongside maintaining an unfavorable attitude towards suicide. There is an urgent need to focus on coordination, standardisation, evidence generation and capacity building of media persons on suicide. Keywords attitude; cross-sectional study; knowledge; suicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhur Basnet
- Department of Psychiatry, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Sunsari, Nepal
| | - Prekshya Thapa
- Department of Psychiatric Nursing, College of Nursing, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Sunsari, Nepal
| | - Dhana Ratna Shakya
- Department of Psychiatry, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Sunsari, Nepal
| | - Suraj Nepal
- Department of Psychiatry, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Sunsari, Nepal
| | - Neena Rai
- Department of Psychiatry, KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Mahalaxmi, Lalitpur, Nepal
| | - Kailash Khaki Shrestha
- Department of Public Health, Edenburg International College, Purbanchal University, Biratnagar, Morang, Nepal
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Gupta AK, Sharma R, Sah RP, Sharma S, Jha A, Chapagai M, Saeed F, Shoib S. Cross-cultural adaptation of Nepalese literacy and stigma of suicide scales (LOSS-SF-Nep and SOSS-SF-Nep) among Nepalese medical and nursing students. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e3344. [PMID: 38010105 PMCID: PMC10726846 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Nepal is a country in South-east Asia with high suicide. There is ongoing trend of emerging research on suicide from Nepal but there is lack of validated scale in measuring literacy or stigma. In the view of poor media reporting and large treatment gap, this study was conducted. All previous validation studies were done in non-Hindu populations. METHODS A cross-sectional study was planned where the short forms of Nepalese literacy of suicide scale (LOSS-SF-Nep) and Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS-SF-Nep) were validated using standard procedure at a medical college in southern Nepal. Medical and nursing students of all batches were approached offline after successful pretesting. The psychometric properties of the scales were tested, and the statuses of literacy and stigma were assessed. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and General Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 were used for revealing depression and generalized anxiety. RESULTS Three hundred and nineteen Nepalese students participated and most of them were males, belonged to nuclear family, upper-middle socioeconomic status and represented 46 out of 77 districts of Nepal. The mean score of LOSS-SF-Nep was 6.36 ± 1.92 and literacy ranged from 37.9% to 89.7%. The deeper exposure to suicidal patients was associated with better literacy. Factor analysis of SOSS-SF-Nep revealed three subscales: stigmatization, isolation/depression, and normalization/glorification and had acceptable psychometric properties. Gender, occupation of head of the family, region and years of education, using mental health services, and depression were associated with variable literacy or stigma. CONCLUSION Literacy and stigma scales were validated in Nepali, and SOSS factor structures were revealed with modified descriptors. The literacy and stigma levels in medical students were calculated for the first time in Nepal and Hindu majority population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rakhi Sharma
- Department of PsychiatryNational Medical CollegeBirgunjNepal
| | - Ram Prakash Sah
- Department of PsychiatryNational Medical CollegeBirgunjNepal
| | - Subodh Sharma
- Department of PsychiatryNational Medical CollegeBirgunjNepal
| | - Ashish Jha
- Department of PsychiatryNational Medical CollegeBirgunjNepal
| | | | - Fahimeh Saeed
- Psychosis Research CenterUniversity of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation SciencesTehranIran
| | - Sheikh Shoib
- Department of PsychiatryJawaharlal Nehru Memorial HospitalKashmirIndia
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