Citation

Hittner JB. Mortality 2005; 10(3): 193-200.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13576270500178112

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The suggestion-imitation model of suicide posits that the number of observed suicides in the population will increase following reports in the media of individuals who died by suicide. Moreover, this imitative suicide phenomenon, which is an example of the Werther effect (Phillips, 1974), is believed to be greatest when the amount of media publicity surrounding a suicide is greatest. Although a number of studies have reported positive associations between mass media portrayals of suicide and actual suicide rates, these studies have been criticized on both methodological and statistical grounds. Perhaps the most central statistical concern is that these studies did not control for the positive correlation (i.e., dependency) between the expected and observed suicide rates before examining the impact of media publicity on the observed number of suicides. In light of this limitation, the present study re-analysed data from two classic articles but, unlike the original authors, the present inquiry examined residualized observed suicides as the dependent variable of interest.

RESULTS of the re-analyses indicated only partial support for the Werther effect. Directions for future research are considered.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Media; Modeling; Imitation; Suggestion; Werther