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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. Can J Psychiatry 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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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Kirchner S, Niederkrotenthaler T. Experiences of suicide survivors of sharing their stories about suicidality and overcoming a crisis in media and public talks: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:142. [PMID: 38200460 PMCID: PMC10777649 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-17661-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Media stories of hope and recovery from suicidal ideation have been found to have a positive impact on the audience, but little is known about how individuals who share their own experiences perceive the effects of their storytelling. This study aimed to assess qualitatively, through focus groups, how individuals who shared their personal story of hope and recovery in the media and public talks experienced the process, and which aspects they perceived as important in sharing their coping story. METHODS Three focus groups were conducted with a total of n = 12 individuals. These included n = 5 participants with experience of suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt, n = 4 individuals who had been bereaved through suicide, and n = 3 participants who experienced both. Participants were recruited from the American organisation "Suicide Survivors United". Thematic analysis was used to assess the participants' perception and experiences of sharing their story. RESULTS Participants shared that the intention to help others was the main motivation to share their story of hope and recovery. Participants noted many positive effects of their storytelling on themselves and also received positive feedback from the audience, such as improved help-seeking attitudes. The participants offered recommendations for those who want to share their story of hope and recovery, including careful personal preparation and media training before going public. They also discussed media recommendations for talking about suicide in the media. CONCLUSIONS Sharing a personal story of hope and recovery may have a beneficial impact on the storytellers. Storytelling requires a careful preparation and training before going public and support and guidance is crucial in all stages of the storytelling, particularly to help unexperienced storytellers in going public and using their personal narratives to help prevent suicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Kirchner
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15/1, Vienna, 1090, Austria.
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15/1, Vienna, 1090, Austria
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
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Lueck JA, Poe M. Werther or Papageno? Examining the effects of news reports of celebrity suicide versus non-celebrity peer suicide on intentions to seek help among vulnerable young adults. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2023; 53:1038-1054. [PMID: 37750193 DOI: 10.1111/sltb.13004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A large body of literature has examined the Werther effect following news reports of suicide, yet much less attention has been paid to the protective Papageno effect. This research explored the causal relationships between news reports of real celebrity suicides (e.g., pop-rock star Chester Bennington) and real non-celebrity "peer" suicides (e.g., college student Madison Holleran) and intentions to seek help. METHODS Two survey experiments confirmed successful experimental manipulation (N = 280) and tested behavioral theory, clinical indicators, and intentions to seek help (N = 641) in samples of college students (18-25). RESULTS Participants were motivated to seek help if they believed it could lead to positive outcomes, yet this was less likely among participants with depression. Exposure to news reports of non-celebrity suicides had a small positive effect on help-seeking intentions. Among participants with depression, news reports of celebrity suicides had a small positive effect on intentions. CONCLUSIONS This research could not establish Werther effects for either of the news reports. Exposure to news reports of non-celebrity suicides had a small positive effect on intentions overall, but young adults with higher levels of depression were slightly more motivated to seek help after viewing news reports of celebrity suicides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Lueck
- Department of Communication, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Madison Poe
- Department of International Development, University of Oxford, Oxford, England
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Sufrate-Sorzano T, Di Nitto M, Garrote-Cámara ME, Molina-Luque F, Recio-Rodríguez JI, Asión-Polo P, Durante Á, Gea-Caballero V, Juárez-Vela R, Pérez J, Santolalla-Arnedo I. Media Exposure of Suicidal Behaviour: An Umbrella Review. Nurs Rep 2023; 13:1486-1499. [PMID: 37987404 PMCID: PMC10660843 DOI: 10.3390/nursrep13040125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM To analyse recommended interventions for the safe and responsible dissemination of suicidal behaviour in the media for preventive purposes. BACKGROUND Suicide is a serious public health problem that leads to more than 700,000 deaths per year, which translates into one death every forty seconds. The media play a significant role in shaping public perceptions and reflecting societal issues. Because of its active role in the construction of reality, the way in which the media report and expose suicidal behaviour has the capacity to influence the population in either a preventive or harmful way. DESIGN An umbrella review was carried out and a report was written according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Overviews of Reviews. METHODS We systematically searched for reviews published from inception to February 2023 in MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL and PsycInfo (via EBSCOhost), Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, and Google Scholar. A narrative synthesis of the results was conducted. RESULTS Six systematic reviews with a moderate to high quality level were selected. Among the recommended interventions were the inclusion of positive messages of hope, resilience, or of overcoming the event, narratives with information on available resources or the promotion of support-seeking attitudes as an effective prevention mechanism, as well as the avoidance of repetitive reporting of the same suicide. The appropriate and responsible dissemination of information on suicidal behaviour in the media with complete and up-to-date information on available centres, organisations, institutions, and resources has proven to be effective, especially in vulnerable populations. CONCLUSION Educating and training the media in an appropriate approach to disseminating suicidal behaviour helps to reduce the number of suicidal behaviours. Knowing what information is advisable to include in the news item as well as what information to avoid is a strong point. Guidelines to promote responsible media reporting are a key component of suicide prevention strategies. This study was prospectively registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on 23 April 2022 with the registration number CRD42022320393.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Sufrate-Sorzano
- Care and Health Research Group, GRUPAC, Nursing Deparment, University of La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain; (T.S.-S.); (M.E.G.-C.); (I.S.-A.)
- Biomedical Research Centre of La Rioja, CIBIR, 26006 Logroño, Spain
| | - Marco Di Nitto
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, 16126 Genova, Italy;
| | - María Elena Garrote-Cámara
- Care and Health Research Group, GRUPAC, Nursing Deparment, University of La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain; (T.S.-S.); (M.E.G.-C.); (I.S.-A.)
- Biomedical Research Centre of La Rioja, CIBIR, 26006 Logroño, Spain
| | - Fidel Molina-Luque
- Faculty of Education, Psychology and Social Work, University of Lleida, 25001 Lleida, Spain;
- Group for the Study of Society, Health, Education and Culture (GESEC), University of Lleida, 25001 Lleida, Spain
- Research Institute in Social and Territorial Development (INDEST), University of Lleida, 25001 Lleida, Spain
| | - José Ignacio Recio-Rodríguez
- Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain;
- Primary Care Research Unit of Salamanca (APISAL), Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), 37008 Salamanca, Spain
| | | | - Ángela Durante
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of East Piedmonet, 13100 Vercelli, Italy;
| | - Vicente Gea-Caballero
- Faculty of Health Sciences, International University of Valencia, 46002 Valencia, Spain;
| | - Raúl Juárez-Vela
- Care and Health Research Group, GRUPAC, Nursing Deparment, University of La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain; (T.S.-S.); (M.E.G.-C.); (I.S.-A.)
- Biomedical Research Centre of La Rioja, CIBIR, 26006 Logroño, Spain
- Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Health (PRINT), Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), 37008 Salamanca, Spain;
| | - Jesús Pérez
- Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Health (PRINT), Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), 37008 Salamanca, Spain;
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, UK
| | - Iván Santolalla-Arnedo
- Care and Health Research Group, GRUPAC, Nursing Deparment, University of La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain; (T.S.-S.); (M.E.G.-C.); (I.S.-A.)
- Biomedical Research Centre of La Rioja, CIBIR, 26006 Logroño, Spain
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Niederkrotenthaler T, Tran US, Baginski H, Sinyor M, Strauss MJ, Sumner SA, Voracek M, Till B, Murphy S, Gonzalez F, Gould M, Garcia D, Draper J, Metzler H. Association of 7 million+ tweets featuring suicide-related content with daily calls to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline and with suicides, United States, 2016-2018. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2023; 57:994-1003. [PMID: 36239594 PMCID: PMC10947496 DOI: 10.1177/00048674221126649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess associations of various content areas of Twitter posts with help-seeking from the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) and with suicides. METHODS We retrieved 7,150,610 suicide-related tweets geolocated to the United States and posted between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2018. Using a specially devised machine-learning approach, we categorized posts into content about prevention, suicide awareness, personal suicidal ideation without coping, personal coping and recovery, suicide cases and other. We then applied seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average analyses to assess associations of tweet categories with daily calls to the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) and suicides on the same day. We hypothesized that coping-related and prevention-related tweets are associated with greater help-seeking and potentially fewer suicides. RESULTS The percentage of posts per category was 15.4% (standard deviation: 7.6%) for awareness, 13.8% (standard deviation: 9.4%) for prevention, 12.3% (standard deviation: 9.1%) for suicide cases, 2.4% (standard deviation: 2.1%) for suicidal ideation without coping and 0.8% (standard deviation: 1.7%) for coping posts. Tweets about prevention were positively associated with Lifeline calls (B = 1.94, SE = 0.73, p = 0.008) and negatively associated with suicides (B = -0.11, standard error = 0.05, p = 0.038). Total number of tweets were negatively associated with calls (B = -0.01, standard error = 0.0003, p = 0.007) and positively associated with suicide, (B = 6.4 × 10-5, standard error = 2.6 × 10-5, p = 0.015). CONCLUSION This is the first large-scale study to suggest that daily volume of specific suicide-prevention-related social media content on Twitter corresponds to higher daily levels of help-seeking behaviour and lower daily number of suicide deaths. PREREGISTRATION As Predicted, #66922, 26 May 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrich S Tran
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hubert Baginski
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Information Systems Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mark Sinyor
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Markus J Strauss
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Steven A Sumner
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Martin Voracek
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Benedikt Till
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sean Murphy
- Vibrant Emotional Health, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, New York, NY, USA
| | - Frances Gonzalez
- Vibrant Emotional Health, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, New York, NY, USA
| | - Madelyn Gould
- Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Garcia
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Interactive Systems and Data Science, Faculty of Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - John Draper
- Vibrant Emotional Health, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hannah Metzler
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Interactive Systems and Data Science, Faculty of Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
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6
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Hawley LL, Niederkrotenthaler T, Zaheer R, Schaffer A, Redelmeier DA, Levitt AJ, Sareen J, Pirkis J, Sinyor M. Is the narrative the message? The relationship between suicide-related narratives in media reports and subsequent suicides. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2023; 57:758-766. [PMID: 35999688 PMCID: PMC10126449 DOI: 10.1177/00048674221117072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES When journalists report on the details of a suicide, the way that they contextualize the meaning of the event (i.e. the 'narrative') can have significant consequences for readers. The 'Werther' and 'Papageno' narrative effects refer to increases and decreases in suicides across populations following media reports on suicidal acts or mastery of crises, respectively. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of these different narrative constructs on subsequent suicides. METHODS This study examined the change in suicide counts over time in Toronto, Canada. It used latent difference score analysis, examining suicide-related print media reports in the Toronto media market (2011-2014). Articles (N = 6367) were coded as having a potentially harmful narrative if they described suicide in a celebrity or described a suicide death in a non-celebrity and included the suicide method. Articles were coded as having potentially protective narratives if they included at least one element of protective content (e.g. alternatives to suicide) without including any information about suicidal behaviour (i.e. suicide attempts or death). RESULTS Latent difference score longitudinal multigroup analyses identified a dose-response relationship in which the trajectory of suicides following harmful 'Werther' narrative reports increased over time, while protective 'Papageno' narrative reports declined. The latent difference score model demonstrated significant goodness of fit and parameter estimates, with each group demonstrating different trajectories of change in reported suicides over time: (χ2[6], N = 6367) = 13.16; χ2/df = 2.19; Akaike information criterion = 97.16, comparative fit index = 0.96, root mean square error of approximation = 0.03. CONCLUSION Our findings support the notion that the 'narrative' matters when reporting on suicide. Specifically, 'Werther' narratives of suicides in celebrities and suicides in non-celebrities where the methods were described were associated with more subsequent suicides while 'Papageno' narratives of survival and crisis mastery without depictions of suicidal behaviours were associated with fewer subsequent suicides. These results may inform efforts to prevent imitation suicides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lance L Hawley
- Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorders
Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health
Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
- Unit Suicide Research and Mental Health
Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical
University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rabia Zaheer
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health
Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ayal Schaffer
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health
Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Donald A Redelmeier
- Department of Medicine, University of
Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Sunnybrook
Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Division of General Internal Medicine,
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences,
Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anthony J Levitt
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health
Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jitender Sareen
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology and
Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Jane Pirkis
- Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of
Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Mark Sinyor
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health
Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Niederkrotenthaler T, Laido Z, Gould M, Lake AM, Sinyor M, Kirchner S, Braun M, Chowdhury S, Gonzalez F, Draper J, Murphy S, Till B. Associations of suicide-related media reporting characteristics with help-seeking and suicide in Oregon and Washington. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2022:48674221146474. [PMID: 36579678 DOI: 10.1177/00048674221146474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Specific content characteristics of suicide media reporting might differentially impact suicides in the population, but studies have not considered the overarching theme of the respective media stories and other relevant outcomes besides suicide, such as help-seeking behaviours. METHODS We obtained 5652 media reports related to suicide from 6 print, 44 broadcast and 251 online sources in Oregon and Washington states, published between April 2019 and March 2020. We conducted a content analysis of stories regarding their overarching focus and specific content characteristics based on media recommendations for suicide reporting. We applied logistic regression analyses to assess how focus and content characteristics were associated with subsequent calls to the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) and suicides in these two states in the week after publication compared to a control time period. RESULTS Compared to a focus on suicide death, a focus on suicidal ideation, suicide prevention, healing stories, community suicide crises/suicide clusters and homicide suicide was associated with more calls. As compared to a focus on suicide death, stories on suicide prevention and stories on community suicide crises/suicide clusters were also associated with no increase in suicides. Regarding specific content characteristics, there were associations that were largely consistent with previous work in the area, for example, an association of celebrity suicide reporting with increases in suicide. CONCLUSION The overall focus of a media story may influence help-seeking and suicides, and several story characteristics appear to be related to both outcomes. More research is needed to investigate possible causal effects and pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
| | - Zrinka Laido
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
| | - Madelyn Gould
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA.,Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, New York, USA.,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alison M Lake
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mark Sinyor
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stefanie Kirchner
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marlies Braun
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Frances Gonzalez
- Vibrant Emotional Health, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, New York, NY, USA
| | - John Draper
- Vibrant Emotional Health, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sean Murphy
- Vibrant Emotional Health, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, New York, NY, USA
| | - Benedikt Till
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
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Braun M, Till B, Pirkis J, Niederkrotenthaler T. Effects of suicide prevention videos developed by and targeting adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2021; 32:847-857. [PMID: 34817663 PMCID: PMC8611173 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-021-01911-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Suicide prevention videos featuring young people's personal narratives of hope and recovery are increasingly used in suicide prevention, but research on their effects is scarce. A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the effects of a suicide prevention video featuring an adolescent mastering his suicidal ideation by getting help on 14 to 19-year-olds. N = 299 adolescents were randomly allocated to watch the intervention video (n = 148) or a control video unrelated to mental health (n = 151). Questionnaire data were collected before (T1) and immediately after exposure (T2), and 4 weeks later (T3). Data were analyzed with a repeated-measures ANCOVA. The primary outcome was suicidal ideation, assessed with the Reasons for Living Inventory for Adolescents. Secondary outcomes were help-seeking intentions, attitudes towards suicide, stigmatization of suicidality, and mood. There was an immediate beneficial effect of the intervention on suicidal ideation (T2 mean change from baseline within intervention group MChange = - 0.16 [95% CI - 0.20 to - 0.12], mean difference compared to control group MDiff = - 0.09 [95% CI - 0.15 to - 0.03], ηp2 = 0.03), which was not maintained at T3. Participants reported significantly higher help-seeking intentions, which was maintained at 4-week follow-up. They also reported a sustained reduction of favorable attitudes to suicide. Effects on suicidal ideation were mediated by identification with the featured protagonist. Adolescents appear to benefit from suicide prevention narratives featuring personal stories from peers on coping with suicidal ideation and help-seeking.Trial registration DRKS00017405; 24/09/19; retrospectively registered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlies Braun
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Benedikt Till
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jane Pirkis
- Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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Niederkrotenthaler T, Baumgartner J, Kautzky A, Fellinger M, Jahn R, Wippel A, Koch M, König-Castillo D, Höflich A, Slamanig R, Topitz A, Wancata J, Till B. Effects of media stories featuring coping with suicidal crises on psychiatric patients: Randomized controlled trial. Eur Psychiatry 2021; 64:e70. [PMID: 34732271 PMCID: PMC8668446 DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.2244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence suggests beneficial effects of media stories featuring individuals mastering their suicidal crises, but effects have not been assessed for psychiatric patients. METHODS We randomized n = 172 adult psychiatric patients (n = 172, 97.1% inpatients) to read an educative article featuring a person mastering a suicidal crisis (n = 92) or an unrelated article (n = 80) in a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Questionnaire data were collected before (T1) and after exposure (T2) as well as 1 week later (study end-point, T3). The primary outcome was suicidal ideation as assessed with the Reasons for Living Inventory; secondary outcomes were help-seeking intentions, mood, hopelessness, and stigmatization. Differences between patients with affective versus other diagnoses were explored based on interaction tests. RESULTS We found that patients with affective disorders (n = 99) experienced a small-sized reduction of suicidal ideation at 1-week follow up (mean difference to control group [MD] at T3 = -0.17 [95% CI -0.33, -0.03], d = -0.15), whereas patients with nonaffective diagnoses (n = 73) experienced a small-sized increase (T2: MD = 0.24 [95% CI 0.06, 0.42], d = 0.19). Intervention group participants further experienced a nonsustained increase of help-seeking intentions (T2: MD = 0.53 [95% CI 0.11, 0.95], d = 0.19) and a nonsustained deterioration of mood (T2: MD = -0.14 [95% CI -0.27, -0.02], d = -0.17). CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that patients with affective disorders appear to benefit from media materials featuring mastery of suicidal crises. More research is needed to better understand which patient groups are at possible risk of unintended effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Niederkrotenthaler
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
| | - J Baumgartner
- Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - A Kautzky
- Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - M Fellinger
- Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - R Jahn
- Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - A Wippel
- Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - M Koch
- Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - D König-Castillo
- Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - A Höflich
- Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - R Slamanig
- Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - A Topitz
- Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - J Wancata
- Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - B Till
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
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Walter K, Wathelet M, Valdenaire S, Grandgenèvre P, Pauwels N, Vaiva G, Notredame CE. A Short Media Training Session Is Effective in Reinforcing Psychiatrists' Communication Skills About Suicide. Front Psychol 2021; 12:733691. [PMID: 34603154 PMCID: PMC8481656 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.733691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Because it has been associated with significant increases [through the Werther Effect (WE)] or decreases [through the Papageno Effect (PE)] of suicide rates, media coverage of suicide-related events is recognized as a prevention leverage. Unfortunately, the recommendations that the World Health Organization (WHO) has published to help journalists reporting on suicide remain poorly applied. The Mini Media Training (MMT) is a short media training session designed to increase psychiatrists’ ability to communicate about suicide during interviews. We aimed at assessing the effect of the MMT on psychiatrists’ ability to help journalists complying with the WHO recommendations. From June 2017 to December 2019, 173 physicians and residents in psychiatry were recruited during French national congresses. At baseline (T0) and 1 and 3 months later (T1), participants received the MMT, which consisted in a simulated interview where they we asked to answer a journalist about a mock suicide. Communication skills were measured with a score summing the number of delivered pieces of advice in relation to the WHO recommendations, with a maximum score of 33. A weighted score was also derived based on the degree of directivity needed for the participant to provide these items, again with a possible maximum of 33. A total of 132 psychiatrists participated in the study at T0 and T1. Both the weighted and unweighted score significantly increased from T0 to T1 (d = +2.08, p < 0.001, and d = +1.24, p < 0.001, respectively). Having a history of contacts with journalists, a short professional experience (<3 years) and prior knowledge of the WE, PE, and WHO recommendations were significantly associated with greater unweighted and weighted scores at baseline. The latter two variables also predicted greater T0–T1 improvement of the weighted score. These results suggest that the MMT could be effective for improving the ability of psychiatrists to guide journalists toward more responsible media coverage of suicide. As a short, easy to implement educational activity, the MMT could therefore be considered in association with other measures to help media professionals mitigating the WE and promoting the PE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Walter
- Psychiatry Department, CHU Lille, Lille, France.,Papageno Program, Lille, France
| | - Marielle Wathelet
- Psychiatry Department, CHU Lille, Lille, France.,Fédération Régionale de Recherche en Psychiatrie et Santé Mentale Hauts-de-France (F2RSM Psy), Saint-André, France.,Centre National de Ressources et Résilience pour les Psychotraumatismes (Cn2r), Lille, France.,PSY Lab, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition Centre, INSERM U1172, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | | | - Pierre Grandgenèvre
- Psychiatry Department, CHU Lille, Lille, France.,Papageno Program, Lille, France
| | - Nathalie Pauwels
- Papageno Program, Lille, France.,Fédération Régionale de Recherche en Psychiatrie et Santé Mentale Hauts-de-France (F2RSM Psy), Saint-André, France
| | - Guillaume Vaiva
- Psychiatry Department, CHU Lille, Lille, France.,Centre National de Ressources et Résilience pour les Psychotraumatismes (Cn2r), Lille, France.,PSY Lab, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition Centre, INSERM U1172, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Charles-Edouard Notredame
- Psychiatry Department, CHU Lille, Lille, France.,Papageno Program, Lille, France.,PSY Lab, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition Centre, INSERM U1172, University of Lille, Lille, France
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11
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Numbers of drug-overdose deaths, both intentionally and unintentionally, have been increasing in the United States. Of interest, Google spotlights counselling services as helpful resources when users query for suicide-related search terms. However, the search engine does so at varying display rates, depending on terms used. Display rates in the drug-overdose deaths domain are unknown. METHODS We emulated suicide-related potentially harmful searches at large scale across the U.S. to explore Google's response to search queries including or excluding additional drug-related terms. Employing agent-based testing we conducted 215,999 search requests with varying combinations of search terms. RESULTS Counseling services such as helpline telephone numbers were displayed at high rates after suicide-related potentially harmful search queries (e.g., "how to commit suicide"). While this is a desirable outcome, display rates were substantially lower when drug-related terms, indicative of users' suicidal overdosing tendencies, were added (e.g., "how to commit suicide fentanyl"). Importantly, the addition of any drug-related search term to the suicide-related queries decreased the display frequency of helpful prevention-related resources substantially. CONCLUSIONS Search queries such as "easy way to commit suicide fentanyl" may indicate acute suicidal crises. Helpful resources should be displayed right in such search moments. Search engines should adjust their algorithms to increase these display rates to direct users to such resources. By doing this, search engines may contribute to the prevention of drug-related suicides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Haim
- University of Leipzig, Department of Communication and Media Studies, Germany
| | - Sebastian Scherr
- Texas A&M University, Department of Communication, United States.
| | - Florian Arendt
- University of Vienna, Department of Communication, Austria
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12
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Niederkrotenthaler T, Till B. Effects of suicide awareness materials on individuals with recent suicidal ideation or attempt: online randomised controlled trial. Br J Psychiatry 2020; 217:693-700. [PMID: 31843026 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2019.259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Awareness materials featuring ways of coping with suicidal ideation can reduce suicidal ideation, the so-called Papageno effect. All of the previous experimental studies on this subject have been conducted with individuals not at risk of suicide. AIMS To assess effects of suicide awareness materials in a sample of individuals with recent suicidal ideation. Trial registration: German Clinical Trial Registry ID number DRKS00013613. METHOD Adults (n = 266) with recent self-reported suicidal ideation or attempt were randomised to read an educative article featuring a lay individual with personal experience of suicidality (n = 86), a similar article featuring a mental health expert (n = 90), or an unrelated article (n = 90) in a double-blind online randomised controlled trial. Questionnaire data were collected before (T1) and immediately after exposure (T2) as well as 1 week later (study end-point, T3) and analysed with linear mixed models. The primary outcome was suicide risk as assessed using the Survival and Coping Beliefs subscale of the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFLI); secondary outcomes were suicide-prevention knowledge and mood. RESULTS There was an immediate beneficial effect on suicide risk in the intervention group exposed to the message delivered by the individual with personal experience (group 1) as compared with the control group that was maintained until the study end-point (study end-point: RFLI score mean difference from baseline within group 1 MD = -0.36 (95% CI -0.66 to -0.06), mean difference compared with control group MD = -0.71 (95% CI -1.27 to -0.14); d = -0.18). The effect was particularly pronounced for individuals with recent suicide attempt (RFLI score at T3, compared with control group: MD = -1.55 (95% CI -2.52 to -0.57); d = -0.23). Participants in this group also showed increased prevention-related knowledge compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with a recent suicide attempt appear to benefit from a printed narrative of positive coping with suicidal ideation. The intervention materials do not increase short-term suicide risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Benedikt Till
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
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13
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Niederkrotenthaler T, Till B. Effects of awareness material featuring individuals with experience of depression and suicidal thoughts on an audience with depressive symptoms: Randomized controlled trial. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2020; 66:101515. [PMID: 31610437 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2019.101515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/22/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Suicide prevention plans support individuals with personal experience of mental disorders and suicidality to provide their narratives of coping in the media. The evidence how such portrayals impact on individuals with similar symptoms is limited and there are concerns about unwanted side effects. METHODS This was a double-blinded randomized controlled online trial conducted from August to November 2018. N = 158 young adults aged 18-24 with current depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts were randomized to watch a short film featuring a young individual with personal experience of depression and suicidality (n = 81), or a thematically unrelated control film (n = 77) with similar stylistic elements. Questionnaire data were collected before and immediately after exposure and analysed with ANOVA. The primary outcome was suicidal ideation; secondary outcomes were depressed mood and help-seeking intentions. We also tested the moderating effects of the degree of depressive symptoms on the effects. RESULTS Depressed mood was significantly lower, with small-to medium effect size, in the intervention group compared to the control group (F(1,111) = 4.13, P < .05, ηp2 = .036). There was no effect on suicidal ideation or help-seeking intentions in the total sample. Participants screening positive for moderately severe depression or higher experienced an increase in suicidal ideation in the control group. LIMITATIONS Self-reported variables in an online setting. CONCLUSIONS Videos featuring personal experience of coping with depression appear safe for young individuals with similar or higher symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation on the short run, and might have some benefits. TRIAL REGISTRATION German Clinical Trial Registry, DRKS00015095 (registration date: 2018-07-16).
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1090, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Benedikt Till
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
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14
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Cheng Q, Chen F, Lee EST, Yip PSF. The role of media in preventing student suicides: A Hong Kong experience. J Affect Disord 2018; 227:643-648. [PMID: 29174737 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In view of the surge of student suicides in March 2016, a large-scale media involvement was engaged to minimize copycat effects and to extensively spread more preventive information. METHODS Trend differences between student suicides in overall as well as youth suicides between 2003 and 2016 were examined. Impacts of media involvement were examined as to the changes of their intensities in reporting student suicides in different manners. Local polynomial smoothing method was used to estimate the intensities throughout the study period. RESULTS The intensity of students' suicides has been slowly increasing since 2006, which was in contrast to the decreasing trend of overall suicide intensity. After our engagement with the media, acute descriptive-reporting in student suicide news has sharply dropped and remained low since then, whereas preventive-reporting has increased sharply in March and April 2016, but dropped back to normal afterwards. The higher intensity of preventive-reporting seemed to have a protective effect on student suicide. LIMITATIONS Data of student suicides in 2016 were substantially extracted from the local news, which may not contain complete information. The analyses suggested, but could not confirm, a causal relationship between the changes of student suicide news-reporting and the incidents of suicides themselves. CONCLUSIONS The recent surge of student suicides in Hong Kong was statistically abnormal. Media engagement has changed local suicide news-reporting to become more preventive, which could have contributed to the drop of student suicides. It is essential to sustain the media's coverage of preventive reporting to maintain its enduring effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qijin Cheng
- Hong Kong Jockey Club Center for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Feng Chen
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Esther S T Lee
- Hong Kong Jockey Club Center for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Paul S F Yip
- Hong Kong Jockey Club Center for Suicide Research and Prevention, and Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
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15
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Acosta Artiles FJ, Rodriguez Rodríguez-Caro CJ, Cejas Méndez MR. [Reporting on Suicide. WHO recommendations for the Media.]. Rev Esp Salud Publica 2017; 91:e201710040. [PMID: 29064462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Inappropriate reporting on suicide in the media may lead to a contagious effect or "Werther effect", while appropriate characteristics may have a protective effect or "Papageno effect". Therefore, the media can contribute to the prevention of suicide. For this reason, the WHO has developed three documents with recommendations for media professionals about how to report on suicide. However, only the first one has been translated into Spanish, they have overlaps and have a different structure. Therefore, Spanish-speaking media professionals in general, and Spanish ones in particular, can hardly have access to these WHO recommendations displayed in a clear and concise manner. The objective of this work was the elaboration and provision of a single and concise text that includes the recommendations of these documents. A formal and structured procedure was followed, combining scientific and linguistic criteria. The final text contains the recommendations grouped into three categories: "what to do", "what not to do" and "other recommendations". This document can be very useful for media professionals, for training activities to disseminate such recommendations for preventive purposes, and for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Javier Acosta Artiles
- Servicio de Psiquiatría. Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Materno-Infantil. Gran Canaria, Canarias, España
- Programa de Investigación en Salud Mental de Canarias. Servicio de Salud Mental. Dirección General de Programas Asistenciales. Gran Canaria, Canarias, España
- Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC). Instituto de Salud Carlos III
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16
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Sisask M, Värnik A. Media roles in suicide prevention: a systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2012; 9:123-38. [PMID: 22470283 PMCID: PMC3315075 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph9010123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 210] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2011] [Revised: 12/15/2011] [Accepted: 12/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the current systematic review was to monitor and provide an overview of the research performed about the roles of media in suicide prevention in order to find out possible effects media reporting on suicidal behaviours might have on actual suicidality (completed suicides, attempted suicides, suicidal ideation). The systematic review was performed following the principles of the PRISMA statement and includes 56 articles. Most of the studies support the idea that media reporting and suicidality are associated. However, there is a risk of reporting bias. More research is available about how irresponsible media reports can provoke suicidal behaviours (the 'Werther effect') and less about protective effect media can have (the 'Papageno effect'). Strong modelling effect of media coverage on suicide is based on age and gender. Media reports are not representative of official suicide data and tend to exaggerate sensational suicides, for example dramatic and highly lethal suicide methods, which are rare in real life. Future studies have to encounter the challenges the global medium Internet will offer in terms of research methods, as it is difficult to define the circulation of news in the Internet either spatially or in time. However, online media can provide valuable innovative qualitative research material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merike Sisask
- Central Behavior & Health Science, Estonian-Swedish Mental Health and Suicidology Institute (ERSI), 39 Õie, Tallinn 11615, Estonia;
- Institute of Social Work, Tallinn University, 25 Narva mnt, Tallinn 10120, Estonia
| | - Airi Värnik
- Central Behavior & Health Science, Estonian-Swedish Mental Health and Suicidology Institute (ERSI), 39 Õie, Tallinn 11615, Estonia;
- Institute of Social Work, Tallinn University, 25 Narva mnt, Tallinn 10120, Estonia
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