•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Numerous factors contribute to suicide ideation; recent studies highlight that the media’s presentation of suicide plays a significant role in influencing suicide ideation and attempts among their audience. This study aims to evaluate the extent of the literature on traditional media reporting and social media in the context of suicide ideation and attempts, considering social media as a distinct yet relevant domain with its widespread reach and user-driven nature. The PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews was employed to retrieve relevant studies and address the following questions: (1) What potential factors and phenomena in media reporting are relevant to suicide ideation and attempts among adults and adolescents in various countries? (2) What are the current solutions to improve media reporting in the context of suicide ideation and attempts among adults and adolescents in various countries? (3) What are the implications of the factors and solutions on media reporting regarding suicide ideation and attempts among adults and adolescents in various countries? The findings indicate and show that media reporting methods are a crucial contributor to suicide prevention. Implementing changes in these methods warrants suicide prevention instead of mediation.

Bahasa Abstract

Bunuh diri adalah salah satu penyebab terbanyak kematian di dunia. Banyak faktor yang berkontribusi pada ideasi bunuh diri; studi terbaru menunjukkan bahwa cara media menampilkan kasus bunuh diri memainkan peran signifikan dalam memengaruhi ideasi dan upaya bunuh diri di kalangan penontonnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi sejauh mana literatur mengenai pemberitaan media tradisional dan media sosial di konteks ideasi dan upaya bunuh diri. Penelitian ini mempertimbangkan media sosial sebagai domain yang berbeda tetapi relevan dengan jangkauannya yang luas dan sifatnya yang digerakkan oleh pengguna. PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews digunakan untuk mendapat studi-studi yang relevan dan menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan berikut: (1) Faktor dan fenomena potensial apa dalam pemberitaan media yang terkait dengan ideasi dan upaya bunuh diri pada orang dewasa maupun remaja di berbagai negara? (2) Solusi apa yang saat ini diterapkan untuk mengubah pemberitaan media dalam konteks ideasi dan upaya bunuh diri pada orang dewasa maupun remaja di berbagai negara? (3) Apa implikasi dari faktor-faktor dan solusi tersebut terhadap pemberitaan media mengenai ideasi dan upaya bunuh diri pada orang dewasa maupun remaja di berbagai negara? Temuan penelitian menunjukkan dan mendukung bahwa metode pemberitaan media adalah kontributor penting dalam pencegahan bunuh diri. Dengan demikian, menerapkan perubahan dalam metode pemberitaan ini bukan sekadar mediasi tetapi dapat mendukung upaya pencegahan bunuh diri.

References

Al-Quran, M. W. M. (2022). Traditional media versus social media: challenges and opportunities. Technium: Romanian Journal of Applied Sciences and Technology, 4(10), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.47577/technium.v4i10.8012

Arendt, F., Scherr, S., & Romer, D. (2019). Effects of exposure to self-harm on social media: Evidence from a two-wave panel study among young adults. New Media & Society, 21(11–12), 2422–2442. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819850106

Arendt, F., Scherr, S., Niederkrotenthaler, T., & Till, B. (2018). The role of language in suicide reporting: Investigating the influence of problematic suicide referents. Social Science & Medicine, 208, 165–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.02.008

Armstrong, G., Vijayakumar, L., Cherian, A. V., & Krishnaswamy, K. (2020). "It's a battle for eyeballs, and suicide is clickbait": The media experience of suicide reporting in India. PLOS ONE, 15(9), e0239280.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239280

Armstrong, G., Vijayakumar, L., Niederkrotenthaler, T., Jayaseelan, M., Kannan, R., Pirkis, J., & Jorm, A. F. (2018). Assessing the quality of media reporting of suicide news in India against World Health Organization guidelines: A content analysis study of nine major newspapers in Tamil Nadu. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 52(9), 856–863. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867418772343

Armstrong, G., Vijayakumar, L., Pirkis, J., Jayaseelan, M., Cherian, A., Soerensen, J. B., Arya, V., & Niederkrotenthaler, T. (2019). Mass media representation of suicide in a high suicide state in India: An epidemiological comparison with suicide deaths in the population. BMJ Open, 9(7), e030836. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030836

Bailey, E., Alvarez-Jimenez, M., Robinson, J., D'Alfonso, S., Nedeljkovic, M., Davey, C. G., Bendall, S., Gilbertson, T., Phillips, J., Bloom, L., Nicholls, L., Garland, N., Cagliarini, D., Phelan, M., McKechnie, B., Mitchell, J., Cooke, M., & Rice, S. M. (2020). An enhanced social networking intervention for young people with active suicidal ideation: Safety, feasibility and acceptability outcomes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7), 2435. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072435

Brandt Sørensen, J., Pearson, M., Armstrong, G., Andersen, M. W., Weerasinghe, M., Hawton, K., & Konradsen, F. (2021). A qualitative analysis of self-harm and suicide in Sri Lankan printed newspapers. Crisis, 42(1), 56–63. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000687

Brown, R. C., Bendig, E., Fischer, T., Goldwich, A. D., Baumeister, H., & Plener, P. L. (2019). Can acute suicidality be predicted by Instagram data? Results from qualitative and quantitative language analyses. PLOS ONE, 14(9), e0220623. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220623

Bruen, A. J., Wall, A., Haines-Delmont, A., & Perkins, E. (2020). Exploring suicidal ideation using an innovative mobile app-strength within me: The usability and acceptability of setting up a trial involving mobile technology and mental health service users. JMIR Mental Health, 7(9), e18407. https://doi.org/10.2196/18407

Burnap, P., Colombo, G., Amery, R., Hodorog, A., & Scourfield, J. (2017). Multi-class machine classification of suicide-related communication on Twitter. Online Social Networks and Media, 2, 32–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.osnem.2017.08.001

Cavazos-Rehg, P. A., Krauss, M. J., Sowles, S. J., Connolly, S., Rosas, C., Bharadwaj, M., Grucza, R., & Bierut, L. J. (2017). An analysis of depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation content on tumblr. Crisis, 38(1), 44–52. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000409

Chan, M., Li, T. M. H., Law, Y. W., Wong, P. W. C., Chau, M., Cheng, C., Fu, K. W., Bacon-Shone, J., Cheng, Q. E., & Yip, P. S. F. (2017). Engagement of vulnerable youths using internet platforms. PLOS ONE, 12(12), e0189023. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0189023

Chang, S.-S., Chen, Y.-Y., Yip, P. S. F., Lee, W. J., Hagihara, A., & Gunnell, D. (2014). Regional changes in charcoal-burning suicide rates in East/Southeast Asia from 1995 to 2011: A time trend analysis. PLoS Medicine, 11(4), e1001622. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001622

Cheng, Q., Chang, S.-S., Guo, Y., & Yip, P. S. F. (2015). Information accessibility of the charcoal burning suicide method in Mainland China. PLOS ONE, 10(10), e0140686. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0140686

Cheng, Q., Chen, F., & Yip, P. S. F. (2017). Media effects on suicide methods: A case study on Hong Kong 1998-2005. PLOS ONE, 12(4), e0175580. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175580

Cheng, Q., Chen, F., Lee, E. S. T., & Yip, P. S. F. (2018). The role of media in preventing student suicides: A Hong Kong experience. Journal of Affective Disorders, 227, 643–648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.007

Cheng, Q., Fu, K.-, Caine, E., & Yip, P. S. F. (2014). Why Do We Report Suicides, and How Can We Facilitate Suicide Prevention Efforts? Crisis, 35(2), 74–81. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000241

Cheng, Q., Kwok, C., Zhu, T., Guan, L., & Yip, P. (2015). Suicide communication on social media and its psychological mechanisms: An examination of Chinese microblog users. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(9), 11506–11527. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120911506

Chu, X., Zhang, X., Cheng, P., Schwebel, D., & Hu, G. (2018). Assessing the use of media reporting recommendations by the world health organization in suicide news published in the most influential media sources in China, 2003–2015. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(3), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15030451

Chun, J. S., Kim, J., & Lee, S. (2018). Fidelity assessment of the suicide reporting guidelines in Korean newspapers. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 18–27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-6014-4

Dunlop, S. M., More, E., & Romer, D. (2011). Where do youth learn about suicides on the Internet, and what influence does this have on suicidal ideation? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(10), 1073–1080. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02416.x

Edwards, T., Torok, M., McGillivray, L., Ford, T., Mok, K., Li, E., & Larsen, M. E. (2021). Social Media Responses to Online Suicide-Related News Articles. Crisis, 42(4), 309-313. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000724

Fahey, R. A., Matsubayashi, T., & Ueda, M. (2018). Tracking the Werther Effect on social media: Emotional responses to prominent suicide deaths on Twitter and subsequent increases in suicide. Social Science & Medicine, 219, 19–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.10.004

Fonseka, T. M., Bhat, V., & Kennedy, S. H. (2019). The utility of artificial intelligence in suicide risk prediction and the management of suicidal behaviors. The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry, 53(10), 954–964. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867419864428

Ganesh, R., Singh, S., Mishra, R., & Sagar, R. (2020). The quality of online media reporting of celebrity suicide in India and its association with subsequent online suicide-related search behaviour among general population: An infodemiology study. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 53, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102380

Gomes de Andrade, N., Pawson, D., & Muriello, D. (2018). Ethics and artificial intelligence: Suicide prevention on Facebook. Philosophy & Technology, 31(4), 669–684. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-018-0336-0

Han, J., Torok, M., Gale, N., Wong, Q. J. J., Werner-Seidler, A., Hetrick, S. E., & Christensen, H. (2019). Use of web conferencing technology for conducting online focus groups among young people with lived experience of suicidal thoughts: Mixed methods research. JMIR Mental Health, 6(10), e14191. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.196704

Harshe, D., Karia, S., Harshe, S., Shah, N., & Harshe, G., De Sousa, A. (2016). Celebrity suicide and its effect on further media reporting and portrayal of suicide: An exploratory study. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 58(4), 443. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.196704

Kavuluru, R., Ramos-Morales, M., Holaday, T., Williams, A. G., Haye, L., & Cerel, J. (2016). Classification of helpful comments on online suicide watch forums. Proceedings of the 7th ACM International Conference on Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, and Health Informatics, 32–40. https://doi.org/10.1145/2975167.2975170

Kumar, M., Dredze, M., Coppersmith, G., & Choudhury, M. D. (2015). Detecting changes in suicide content manifested in social media following celebrity suicides. In Proceedings of the 26th ACM Conference on Hypertext and Social Media (pp. 85–94). https://doi.org/10.1145/2700171.2791026

Liu, X., Huang, J., Yu, N. X., Li, Q., & Zhu, T. (2020). Mediation effect of suicide-related social media use behaviors on the association between suicidal ideation and suicide attempt: Cross-sectional questionnaire study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(4), e14940. https://doi.org/10.2196/14940

Liu, X., Liu, X., Sun, J., Yu, N. X., Sun, B., Li, Q., & Zhu, T. (2019). Proactive Suicide Prevention Online (PSPO): Machine identification and crisis management for Chinese social media users with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(5), e11705. https://doi.org/10.2196/11705

Longenecker, L. M. (2019). Suicide, precarity, and Korean media: A sociocultural analysis of the adolescent suicide epidemic in South Korea. Texas Scholarworks. http://dx.doi.org/10.26153/tsw/2161

Loureiro, P. R. A., Moreira, T. B. S., & Sachsida, A. (2015). Does the effect of media influence suicide rates? Journal of Economic Studies, 42(3), 415–432. https://doi.org/10.1108/jes-08-2013-0106

Luxton, D. D., June, J. D., & Fairall, J. M. (2012). Social media and suicide: a public health perspective. American Journal of Public Health, 102(2), S195–S200. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300608

McTernan, N., Spillane, A., Cully, G., Cusack, E., O'Reilly, T., & Arensman, E. (2018). Media reporting of suicide and adherence to media guidelines. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 64(6), 536–544. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764018784624

Mueller, A. S. (2017). Does the media matter to suicide?: Examining the social dynamics surrounding media reporting on suicide in a suicide-prone community. Social Science & Medicine, 180, 152–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.03.019

Niederkrotenthaler, T., Braun, M., Pirkis, J., Till, B., Stack, S., Sinyor, M., Tran, U. S., Voracek, M., Cheng, Q., Arendt, F., Scherr, S., Yip, P. S. F., & Spittal, M. J. (2020). Association between suicide reporting in the media and suicide: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 368, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m575

Niederkrotenthaler, T., Fu, K.-, Yip, P. S. F., Fong, D. Y. T., Stack, S., Cheng, Q., & Pirkis, J. (2012). Changes in suicide rates following media reports on celebrity suicide: a meta-analysis. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 66(11), 1037–1042. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2011-200707

Niederkrotenthaler, T., Stack, S., Till, B., Sinyor, M., Pirkis, J., Garcia, D., Rockett, I. R. H., & Tran, U. S. (2019). Association of increased youth suicides in the united states with the release of 13 reasons why. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(9), 933-940. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.0922

Notredame, C. E., Grandgenèvre, P., Pauwels, N., Morgiève, M., Wathelet, M., Vaiva, G., & Séguin, M. (2018). Leveraging the web and social media to promote access to care among suicidal individuals. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1338. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01338

Park, J., Choi, N., Kim, S. J., Kim, S., An, H., Lee, H.-J., & Lee, Y. J. (2016). The impact of celebrity suicide on subsequent suicide rates in the general population of Korea from 1990 to 2010. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 31(4), 598-603. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2016.31.4.598

Pirkis, J., Currier, D., Too, L. S., Bryant, M., Bartlett, S., Sinyor, M., & Spittal, M. J. (2019). Suicides in Australia following media reports of the death of Robin Williams. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 54(1), 99–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867419888297

Robinson, J., Bailey, E., Hetrick, S., Paix, S., O'Donnell, M., Cox, G., Ftanou, M., & Skehan, J. (2017). Developing social media-based suicide prevention messages in partnership with young people: Exploratory study. JMIR Mental Health, 4(4), e40. https://doi.org/10.2196/mental.7847

Robinson, J., Cox, G., Bailey, E., Hetrick, S., Rodrigues, M., Fisher, S., & Herrman, H. (2015). Social media and suicide prevention: A systematic review. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 10(2), 103–121. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.12229

Robinson, J., Hill, N. T. M., Thorn, P., Battersby, R., Teh, Z., Reavley, N. J., Pirkis, J., Lamblin, M., Rice, S., & Skehan, J. (2018). The #chatsafe project. Developing guidelines to help young people communicate safely about suicide on social media: A Delphi study. PLOS ONE, 13(11), e0206584. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206584

Robinson, J., Rodrigues, M., Fisher, S., Bailey, E., & Herrman, H. (2015). Social media and suicide prevention: Findings from a stakeholder survey. Shanghai archives of psychiatry, 27(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.11919/j.issn.1002-0829.214133

Sedgwick, R., Epstein, S., Dutta, R., & Ougrin, D. (2019). Social media, internet use and suicide attempts in adolescents. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 32(6), 534–541. https://doi.org/10.1097/yco.0000000000000547

Sinyor, M., Schaffer, A., Nishikawa, Y., Redelmeier, D. A., Niederkrotenthaler, T., Sareen, J., Levitt, A. J., Kiss, A., & Pirkis, J. (2018). The association between suicide deaths and putatively harmful and protective factors in media reports. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 190(30), E900–E907. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.170698

Soron, T. R., & Shariful Islam, S. M. (2020). Suicide on Facebook-the tales of unnoticed departure in Bangladesh. Global Mental Health, 7, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2020.5

Stack, S. (2020). Media guidelines and suicide: A critical review. Social Science & Medicine, p. 262, 112690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112690

Suh, S., Chang, Y., & Kim, N. (2015). Quantitative exponential modelling of copycat suicides: association with mass media effect in South Korea. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 24(2), 150–157. https://doi.org/10.1017/s204579601400002x

Sumner, S. A., Burke, M., & Kooti, F. (2020). Adherence to suicide reporting guidelines by news shared on a social networking platform. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(28), 16267–16272. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2001230117

Sumner, S. A., Galik, S., Mathieu, J., Ward, M., Kiley, T., Bartholow, B., Dingwall, A., & Mork, P. (2019). Temporal and Geographic Patterns of Social Media Posts About an Emerging Suicide Game. The Journal of adolescent health: official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 65(1), 94–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.12.025

Swedo, E. A., Beauregard, J. L., de Fijter, S., Werhan, L., Norris, K., Montgomery, M. P., Rose, E. B., David-Ferdon, C., Massetti, G. M., Hillis, S. D., & Sumner, S. A. (2020). Associations between social media and suicidal behaviors during a youth suicide cluster in Ohio. Journal of Adolescent Health, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.05.049

Tan, Z., Liu, X., Liu, X., Cheng, Q., & Zhu, T. (2017). Designing Microblog Direct Messages to Engage Social Media Users With Suicide Ideation: Interview and Survey Study on Weibo. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(12), e381. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.8729

Thorn, P., Hill, N. T. M., Lamblin, M., Teh, Z., Battersby-Coulter, R., Rice, S., Bendall, S., Gibson, K. L., Finlay, S. M., Blandon, R., de Souza, L., West, A., Cooksey, A., Sciglitano, J., Goodrich, S., & Robinson, J. (2020). Developing a suicide prevention social media campaign with young people (The #Chatsafe Project): Co-Design Approach. JMIR Mental Health, 7(5), e17520. https://doi.org/10.2196/17520

Tricco, A. C., Lillie, E., Zarin, W., O'Brien, K. K., Colquhoun, H., Levac, D., Moher, D., Peters, M. D. J., Horsley, T., Weeks, L., Hempel, S., Akl, E. A., Chang, C., McGowan, J., Stewart, L., Hartling, L., Aldcroft, A., Wilson, M. G., Garritty, C., … Straus, S. E. (2018). PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and explanation. Annals of Internal Medicine, 169(7), 467-473. https://doi.org/10.7326/m18-0850

Ueda, M., Mori, K., & Matsubayashi, T. (2014). The effects of media reports of suicides by well-known figures between 1989 and 2010 in Japan. International Journal of Epidemiology, 43(2), 623–629. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyu056

Utterson, M., Daoud, J., & Dutta, R. (2017). Online media reporting of suicides: Analysis of adherence to existing guidelines. BJPsych Bulletin, 41(2), 83–86. https://doi.org/10.1192/pb.bp.115.052761

Victor, J., Heng, J. G. K., Yang, L. F., Tan, P. L., Govindaraju, G. M., & Devi, U. (2019). Media reporting of suicide: A framing analysis of the coverage by The Star newspaper in Malaysia [Research report]. Taylor’s University Malaysia. https://expert.taylors.edu.my/file/rems/publication/100268_4762_1.pdf

Wake, A., Paton, E., & Pryor, R. (2020). Communicating about suicide during a global pandemic: Impact on journalists and media audiences. Media International Australia, 1329878X2095641. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878x20956415

Westerlund, M., Hadlaczky, G., & Wasserman, D. (2015). Case study of posts before and after a suicide on a Swedish internet forum. British Journal of Psychiatry, 207(6), 476–482. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.114.154484

Whitley, R., Fink, D. S., Santaella-Tenorio, J., & Keyes, K. M. (2019). Suicide mortality in Canada after the death of Robin Williams, in the context of high-fidelity to suicide reporting guidelines in the Canadian media. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(11), 805–812. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743719854073

World Health Organization (2017). Preventing suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals. WHO. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/258814/WHO-MSD-MER-17.5-eng.pdf;jsessionid=F5CC459850061D003F1A920FC212DCF3?sequence=1

Wu, C., Lee, M. B., Liao, S. C., Chan, C. T., & Chen, C. Y. (2019). The trend of suicide reporting in the media: An effectiveness study of daily surveillance over nine years. BioRxiv. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/768945v1

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.