The role of monocausal versus multicausal explanations of suicide in suicide reporting: A randomized controlled trial.
Werther effect
beliefs about suicide
media
media guidelines
news
suicide
Journal
Suicide & life-threatening behavior
ISSN: 1943-278X
Titre abrégé: Suicide Life Threat Behav
Pays: England
ID NLM: 7608054
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Dec 2023
Dec 2023
Historique:
revised:
28
09
2023
received:
23
06
2023
accepted:
01
10
2023
pubmed:
12
10
2023
medline:
12
10
2023
entrez:
12
10
2023
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Media guidelines for reporting on suicide recommend that journalists should avoid monocausal explanations of suicide, but it is unclear if media items with monocausal explanations elicit different effects as compared to multicausal portrayals. Using a web-based randomized controlled trial (n = 969), we tested five versions of a news article about the suicide of a teenage girl with varying portrayals of reasons for the suicide: (1) bullying as the sole (external) factor (i.e., monocausal), (2) several external social factors, (3) a combination of internal and external factors, (4) a combination of internal and external factors along with a focus on suicide prevention, or (5) no reason for the suicide (control group). We measured perceptions about the cause of suicide, attitudes toward suicide and suicide prevention, and identification with the suicidal protagonist with questionnaires. Readers of articles that portrayed suicide as being caused by one specific reason or exclusively social factors tended to adopt these misconceptions. Identification with the suicidal protagonist did not vary between interventions groups, but was lower in the control group. Highlighting the multifactorial etiology of suicide in news articles may help to avoid the misconception that suicide is a monocausal issue.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Media guidelines for reporting on suicide recommend that journalists should avoid monocausal explanations of suicide, but it is unclear if media items with monocausal explanations elicit different effects as compared to multicausal portrayals.
METHOD
METHODS
Using a web-based randomized controlled trial (n = 969), we tested five versions of a news article about the suicide of a teenage girl with varying portrayals of reasons for the suicide: (1) bullying as the sole (external) factor (i.e., monocausal), (2) several external social factors, (3) a combination of internal and external factors, (4) a combination of internal and external factors along with a focus on suicide prevention, or (5) no reason for the suicide (control group). We measured perceptions about the cause of suicide, attitudes toward suicide and suicide prevention, and identification with the suicidal protagonist with questionnaires.
RESULTS
RESULTS
Readers of articles that portrayed suicide as being caused by one specific reason or exclusively social factors tended to adopt these misconceptions. Identification with the suicidal protagonist did not vary between interventions groups, but was lower in the control group.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSIONS
Highlighting the multifactorial etiology of suicide in news articles may help to avoid the misconception that suicide is a monocausal issue.
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
1063-1075Informations de copyright
© 2023 The Authors. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association of Suicidology.
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