• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.133-142
• /
• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of suicide reports by mass media and social support on suicide ideation for college students. Methods: Participants are 350 undergraduate students in one university. This study uses three questionnaires: Perception and Attitude toward Suicide Reports, Social Support, and Suicidal Ideation. The SPSS/WIN 12.0 program is used to analyze the data. In particular, the participants' biographical data are analyzed into frequency and percentage. The degrees of suicide reports, social support, and suicide ideation are calculated into Mean and SD. Moreover, the suicide ideation by suicide report and social support are analyzed by the two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: This study reveals that college students have an average of 30 minutes to one hour news time a day (38.9%) and have at least one suicide report in a month (30.3%). 79.7% participants believe that the suicide report of mass media results in the cause of the copycat suicide. In terms of suicide report and suicide ideation, the types of mass media (F (4,340)=2.41, p<.05) and suicidal urge (F (1,340)=31.23, p<.01), respectively, have significant influences on suicide ideation. On the other hand, the social support and suicide ideation, whether college students have their mentors (F (1,328)=13.26, p<.001) and/or careres (F (1,328)=26.84, p<.001) have significant influences on suicide ideation. Conclusion: College students have higher suicide ideation at news by internet site rather than by radio, TV, and so on. Moreover, college students who have a suicide feeling in the last one year, have more suicide ideation than who have not. On the other hand, college students who have a mentor and carer tend to have less suicide ideation.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.73-82
• /
• 2011

Objectives: This study is to gain an understanding of the characteristics of suicides committed by university students in Korea by assessing news reports. Methods: A total of 97 news reports on university student suicides on daily newspapers and TV newscasts from 2000 to 2011 are included in this study. Analyses were performed on sociodemographic characteristics of suicided university students and temporal and other characteristics of the suicides. Results: Suicide rate was higher among males than females. The most frequently used method of suicide was jumping off while the most common place was the students’ residence. Issues related to academic and financial problems topped as the reasons for suicide. There were no differences in the reasons for committing suicide by school year and enrollment, but the location and season of committing suicide differed by reasons for suicide. Conclusions: Implication of this study, discussion on the results and suggestions for suicide prevention are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.9-17
• /
• 2020

Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate the interest level, perception and attitude of suicide high-risk group toward the media's suicide report, and also to provide the fundamental data in order to strengthen both the standard and the recommendation of media coverage in Korea. Methods We analyzed the data from the 2013 The Korea National Suicide Survey. The study included 1500 participants aged between 19 and 75 years. The participants were selected through the regional multi-layer stratification method using the sampling frame of the 2010 Census. One-on-one face-to-face interviews investigated the interest level, opinions, and attitudes toward suicide reports and collected data on past suicide history and demographic data. The collected data were evaluated using multiple logistic regression analysis. A probability level of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The suicide high risk groups with histories of suicidal ideations or attempts showed more interest in suicidal reports [suicidal thought odds ratio (OR) = 1.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.40-2.34 ; suicidal attempt OR = 3.21, 95% Cl = 1.52-6.78]. However, there was no difference among the groups in thought that suicide reports incite suicide (suicidal thought OR = 1.26, 95% Cl = 0.92-1.73 ; suicidal attempt OR = 0.96, 95% Cl = 0.44-2.09). The suicide high risk groups showed a positive attitude toward suicide reports, but it was not statistically significant (suicidal thought OR = 1.10, 95% Cl = 0.41-2.92 ; suicidal attempt OR = 1.10, 95% Cl = 0.76-1.59). Conclusions We suggest the need of careful attitude of media suicidal reports not to bring about copycat suicides. and also we offer suicide prevention campaign based on media leverage.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.169-176
• /
• 2020

Exploring the risk factors of adolescent suicide is important for effective suicide prevention. This study explored the clustering of adolescent suicides based on six risk factors: mental disorder, broken family, depression, anxiety, previous suicide attempts, and deviant behaviors. Using 173 student suicide reports obtained from the Ministry of Education, we evaluated the associations between suicide and variables related to mental disorders; dysfunctional family life; depression and anxiety; previous suicide attempts; deviant behaviors such as drinking and smoking; and school life characteristics, including attendance and discipline, problems within the past year, and incidents prior to suicide. In addition, reports of warning signs just before suicide were included in the analysis. The two-stage cluster analysis classified the students into three clusters: the silent type (cluster 1; 48.55%), in which no risk factors were observed; environmental-risk type (cluster 2: 24.28%), which featured a high frequency of broken households, deviant behaviors such as smoking/drinking and running away from home; and depressive type (cluster 3: 27.17%), which featured a high frequency of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts. Identifying the sub-types of adolescent suicide may help to inform tailored suicide prevention and intervention strategies in school.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.179-195
• /
• 2010

Media reports of suicides has been found to increase suicide cases that were temporally and spacially proximal to the reports, but the psychological mechanisms, social learning, underlying the negative effects was not directly tested. The present study examined the cognitive processes of social learning that media reports of suicides, especially positive contents toward suicides, might change people's perception, memory, and attitudes toward suicides positively and subsequently increase subsequent suicide intentions and behaviors. Through an internet survey, 300 adults reported their perception, memory, and attitudes toward news reports of suicides, and rated whether the suicides were described positively or negatively in the reports. Finally they reported their suicide intentions and behaviors. The results revealed that people tended to remember more the contents of suicide reports suggested to increase copycat suicides. Also, people were found to have an ironic view to suicide reports of media that they acknowledged the dangers of suicides reports and approached the reports with curiosity. More importantly, the perception of the positive reward that suicides might achieved through suicides was related with positive attitudes toward suicides and behavioral intention to suicides. The present findings was discussed in the social learning understanding of copycat suicides and their implications for suicide-prevention strategies.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
• /
• v.12 no.5
• /
• pp.121-126
• /
• 2021

Based on network agenda-setting theory, this study attempted to analyze media reports about suicide from 2000 to 2020 in order to find solutions for suicide problem in the Korean society. Results showed that top 10 key words in media were suicide, death leap, death, attempt, supposition, discovery, men, pessimism. Those key words were appeared similarly and contunually in the media. In addition, both newspapers and broadcastings had similar reports trend, so it is plausible to consider inter-media agenda setting relations between newspapers and broadcasings.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.112-119
• /
• 2010

Purpose: The study explored the influence of the suicide of two famous entertainers on the suicide attempts of the public. Method: The subjects of the descriptive study were 888 suicide attempt patients recruited from October 2007 to September 2009 in an emergency centre located in S-city. The research tools were developed at the Centre for Disease Control. Results: The frequency of suicide attempts during the 6 months and 12 months preceding and following the gas-related suicide of celebrity A were ${\chi}^2$=18.14 and ${\chi}^2$=25.97, respectively, and both were significant(both p<.001). The frequency of suicide attempts of the 6 and 12months before and after the release of report of celebrity B's hanging suicide were ${\chi}^2$=3.85 and ${\chi}^2$=3.47, respectively, and both were significant (both p<.05). Conclusion: These results showed that reports of suicide of celebrities influences suicide attempts of the public. Multiple factors that can influence suicide attempts should be further identified and researched.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.51 no.4
• /
• pp.408-413
• /
• 2021

Recently, nurse suicide has emerged as one of the major issues. We tried to review the status of nurse suicide and its management in Korea through inspecting related web sites, news articles, and research. However, there were no sufficient reports or statistics along with the research throughout the country. Moreover, there were no organized nurse suicide management systems or programs including suicide prevention, suicide intervention, suicide postvention management. In other countries, there were various trials and successful experiences about nurse suicide programs, and those have been managed in organized and integrated ways. It gave us a lot of implications. To effectively prevent and manage the nurse suicide in Korea, nursing workforce, nursing managers, and nursing researchers should be concerned about nurse suicide. Furthermore, discussions and the research must be made actively. Based on such efforts, appropriate programs, organized manage systems, and policies must be devised at institution and national level.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.244-251
• /
• 2006

Depression is a frequent cause of suicide. Although there have been reports that SSRIs might increase suicidal ideations and behaviors, most studies found antidepressants are effective treatments of suicidal ideations and behaviors. Antidepressants have also been shown to have prophylactic effects in preventing suicidal behaviors. Most double-blind studies do not suggest a causal relationship between antidepressant and the increased suicidality. Our review results suggest that the undertreatments of depression are more significant problems with the use of antidepressants in suicidal patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.143-149
• /
• 2009

Purpose: Suicide attempts are known to be influenced by mass media reports. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of mass media reporting celebrity suicides on an increase of intentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and suicide attempts. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of the consecutive patients who presented with suicide attempts to the Emergency Department of Ajou University Hospital during a 24 month period. We obtained the demographic data, any past history of suicide attempt and the methods of suicide attempts from the medical records of the suicide attempters. Time series analysis was conducted for evaluating the influence of mass media reporting of celebrity suicide on the suicide rates. Results: We finally enrolled 770 patients during the study period. The total number of suicide attempts by CO poisoning was 18 and the average number of suicide attempts by CO was $0.33{\pm}0.73$ per week. All of the suicide attempts by CO poisoning occurred after a celebrity committed suicide using CO from burning charcoal. Conclusion: This study showed that celebrity suicide by CO poisoning resulted in the Werther effect, which made the rate of intended CO poisoning increase, and the study provided further evidence for the need to actively restrain mass media reporting of suicide to decrease the Werther effect.