Arch Suicide Res. 2022 Jul-Sep;26(3):1600-1606. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2021.1875942. Epub 2021 Jan 27.
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.
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 -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.
A significant increase in search activity for "suicide" ( = < .001), "Ari Behn suicide" (002 and "how to suicide" ( = .006) was found after the suicide. Searches for "suicide prevention" were not significant ( = .11). The structural change test was significant both for the model that did not control for explicit searches ( = <.001) and for the model controlled for explicit searches ( = <.001).
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.HIGHLIGHTSWe 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.
媒体对名人自杀的报道容易产生自杀传染效应。本研究旨在检验挪威广为人知的名人自杀事件——阿里·贝恩（Ari Behn）的自杀是否与与自杀相关术语的搜索活动变化有关。
从谷歌趋势中检索了“自杀”、“阿里·贝恩自杀”、“如何自杀”和“自杀预防”等术语的搜索活动数据。我们分析了时间序列的中断数据，并使用 t 检验比较了自杀前后的平均值。建立了一个简单线性模型，检验随着时间的推移，“自杀”搜索与控制“阿里·贝恩自杀”后搜索的调整模型之间的关联。用结构变化测试来检验这些模型。
在自杀事件后，“自杀”（ = < .001）、“阿里·贝恩自杀”（002）和“如何自杀”（ = .006）的搜索活动显著增加。“自杀预防”的搜索没有显著变化（ = .11）。未控制明确搜索的模型（ = <.001）和控制明确搜索的模型（ = <.001）的结构变化检验均有统计学意义。
挪威最近一次广为人知的自杀事件与对自杀相关术语的谷歌搜索增加有关。没有发现 Papageno 效应的迹象。媒体在报道知名人士自杀事件时应谨慎行事。遵守普遍接受的媒体报道准则可能需要更多关注。
我们发现与自杀相关的术语搜索活动显著增加。应更加关注对名人自杀事件的谨慎媒体报道。媒体应仔细考虑宣传力度。
