Recent research by Phillips suggested that publicized suicide stories triggered a rise in suicides, some of which were disguised as motor vehicle fatalities (MVF). The most striking finding of his research was a 31% jump in California MVF on the third day after publicized suicide stories. Yet, until they are replicated, we do not know whether these results are limited to: (1) California, (2) the time period studied (1966-73), or (3) the method of analysis used. In this research note we replicate Phillip's California analysis with Detroit metropolitan data for 1973-76. We use two different statistical techniques to insure that Phillips's findings are not an artifat of his method of analysis. We find a 35%-40% increase in Detroit MVF on the third day after a publicized suicide story. Our replication suggests that Phillips's most striking result the third day peak in MVF is not limited to a particular geographical region, time period, or technique of analysis.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0002-9602 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/227464 ID - ref1 ER -