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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE: The media plays an important role in suicide prevention. Online media has become the major source of suicide information for the general public, and its positive or negative influences will cause imitation effects. This study aimed to: 1) analyze the contents and trend of online suicide reports from the media reporters' viewpoints and investigate its potential impacts on suicide among the public; 2) examine the relationship between the profile of suicide news and national suicide data, and 3) evaluate the impact of Suicide Prevention Act enacted on June 19, 2019.
METHOD: The Taiwan Suicide Prevention Center (TSPC) monitored online daily news published on the websites of four major Taiwanese media companies from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021. Suicide incident reports and the reported suicide cases were coded according to the standardized method. Z test and Poisson distribution analyses were performed to compare the rates of reporting suicide methods and the trend of the annual rate changes.
RESULTS: In total, 10,426 reports were collected during the research period. Overall, more than 95% of suicide news mentioned suicide methods. The profiles of the suicide reports were analyzed and compared between two time slots (2012-2016 and 2017-2021). During 2012-2016, the top three suicide methods reported were falling from height (1,368 people, 22.2%), charcoal burning (1182 people, 19.2%), and suicide by drowning (867 people, 14.1%). During 2017-2021, the three frequently reported suicide methods were falling from height (1,188 people, 27.8%), suicide by drowning (874 people, 20.4%), and charcoal burning (552 people, 12.9%). Notably, the rate of falling from height steadily increased over the past decade in Taiwan. The possible copycat effects on the female's suicide using this lethal method were discussed.
CONCLUSION: The online media selected specific suicide methods to report in the news. Although the National Suicide Prevention Act had reduced the overall media reports on suicide, falling from height was still the most common method reported in online news over the past decade. The potential latent copycat effects triggered by online media reports among the individuals at risk of suicide need to be highlighted and further investigated.
Language: zh |