@article{ref1,
title="Associations of suicide referents with different moral connotation with actual suicides",
journal="Crisis",
year="2024",
author="Niederkrotenthaler, Thomas and Tran, Ulrich S. and Till, Benedikt",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
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. <br><br>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. <br><br>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. <br><br>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.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0227-5910",
doi="10.1027/0227-5910/a000946",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000946"
}