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.

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.

Bypassing the waitlist: examining barriers and facilitators of help-line utilization among college students with depression symptoms.

BACKGROUND: A large number of U.S. college students suffer from depression symptoms, yet existing resources cannot match the demand. AIMS: This study identified the psychological determinants of utilizing a help-line and examined potential barriers in order to inform effective help-line promotion. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred and six undergraduate students (18-29 years) completed a survey at a large Southern United States university between January and May 2018. METHODS: The survey assessed depression symptoms (PHQ9), whether students were aware of the help-line they had access to, stigma beliefs about depression/suicide, stigma of seeking help (SSOSH), predictors of intention to utilize the help-line (RAT) and behavioral approach and avoidance motivation (BIS/BAS). RESULTS: Students showed mild symptoms of depression (M = 6.60, SD = 5.13) and knew about the help-line (74.8%), but expressed low intentions to use it (M = 1.5, SD = 0.97; 7-pt scale). Depression symptoms influenced the strength of association between determinants and intentions to use a help-line (ß = 0.25, p < 0.001). Participants with depression symptoms were also more likely to endorse adverse beliefs about depression/suicide (ß = 0.11, p = 0.025). CONCLUSION: Help-lines should be promoted by activating and reinforcing positive outcome expectations. Health campaigns should also address adverse beliefs in this population.