Associations of Suicide Referents With Different Moral Connotation With Actual Suicides.
Crisis
; 45(4): 280-286, 2024 Jul.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38441131
ABSTRACT
Background:
Different words used for suicide (so-called suicide referents) have different moral connotations, and neutral referents are recommended in media reporting guidelines.Aims:
To assess how different referents in media reports are related to actual suicides.Method:
Austrian news articles for each month between 2000 and 2021 (n = 276 months) were obtained from the Austrian Press Agency. Time series were modeled for media items referring to suicide as a crime [Selbstmord], an act of freedom [Freitod], or neutral connotation [Suizid]. Temporal associations with suicides in the month before, during, and after the reporting were examined.Results:
Terminology referring to suicide as an act of free will [Freitod] was weakly associated with increases in total, male, and female suicides and with suicides in up to 64-year-olds in the same month. No other statistically significant associations were found.Limitations:
No detailed content analysis of media reports was done.Conclusion:
During times of prevalent use of referents suggesting suicide to be an act of freedom, there are small-sized increases in suicides. The simultaneous occurrence of this referent and suicides might reflect effects of a societal framing present in both the media and the community rather than a sheer media effect.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Suicídio
/
Meios de Comunicação de Massa
/
Princípios Morais
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Crisis
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article