Abstract

Objective

Media reporting of celebrities’ deaths by suicide are prone to suicide contagion effects. The aim of the current study is to examine whether the widely publicized celebrity suicide of Ari Behn in Norway was associated with changes in search activity of suicide-related terms.

Method

Search activity data for the terms “suicide,” “Ari Behn suicide,” “how to suicide,” and “suicide prevention” were retrieved from Google Trends. We analyzed data as an interrupted time series and used T-tests to compare means before and after the suicide. Crude linear models examining the association between searches for “suicide” over time and an adjusted model controlling for searches after “Ari Behn suicide” were built. The models were tested with structural change tests.

Results

A significant increase in search activity for “suicide” (p = < .001), “Ari Behn suicide” (p = .002), and “how to suicide” (p = .006) was found after the suicide. Searches for “suicide prevention” were not significant (p = .11). The structural change test was significant both for the model that did not control for explicit searches (p = <.001) and for the model controlled for explicit searches (p = <.001).

Conclusions

A recent widely publicized suicide in Norway was associated with increases in Google searches for suicide. No indications of the Papageno effect were found. The media should be cautious when reporting about the suicides of prominent public persons. Compliance with generally accepted media reporting guidelines may need more attention.

• HIGHLIGHTS

• We found a significant increase in search activity for suicide related terms.

• More attention should be devoted to careful media reporting on celebrity suicides.

• Media should consider the volume of publicity carefully.

中文翻译：

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广泛宣传的名人自杀对与自杀相关的互联网搜索活动的影响

摘要

客观的

媒体对名人自杀身亡的报道很容易产生自杀传染效应。本研究的目的是检验挪威广为人知的 Ari Behn 名人自杀是否与自杀相关术语搜索活动的变化有关。

方法

从谷歌趋势中检索到“自杀”、“Ari Behn 自杀”、“如何自杀”和“预防自杀”等词的搜索活动数据。我们将数据分析为中断的时间序列，并使用T检验比较自杀前后的平均值。建立了检查“自杀”搜索随时间推移之间的关联的粗线性模型，以及控制“Ari Behn 自杀”后搜索的调整模型。通过结构变化测试对模型进行了测试。

结果

自杀后发现“自杀”（ p  = < .001）、“Ari Behn 自杀”（p = .002 ）和“如何自杀”（p  = .006）的搜索活动显着增加。“预防自杀”的搜索量不显着（p  = .11）。结构变化测试对于不控制显式搜索的模型 ( p  = <.001) 和控制显式搜索的模型 ( p  = <.001) 都是显着的。

结论

最近在挪威广为宣传的一起自杀事件与谷歌搜索自杀的次数增加有关。没有发现帕帕吉诺效应的迹象。媒体在报道知名公众人物的自杀事件时应保持谨慎。遵守普遍接受的媒体报道指南可能需要更多关注。

• 强调

• 我们发现与自杀相关的术语的搜索活动显着增加。

• 应该更多地关注媒体对名人自杀的谨慎报道。

• 媒体应仔细考虑宣传量。