The DOI matches its Crossref record; 47 of the 47 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The association between suicide deaths and putatively harmful and protective factors in media reports
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Exposure to media reporting on suicide can lead to suicide contagion and, in some circumstances, may also lead to help-seeking behaviour. There is limited evidence for which specific characteristics of media reports mediate these phenomena. METHODS: This observational study examined associations between putatively harmful and protective elements of media reports about suicide in 13 major publications in the Toronto media market and subsequent suicide deaths in Toronto (2011-2014). We used multivariable logistic regression to determine whether specific article characteristics were associated with increases or decreases in suicide deaths in the 7 days after publication, compared with a control window. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2014, there were 6367 articles with suicide as the major focus and 947 suicide deaths. Elements most strongly and independently associated with increased suicides were a statement about the inevitability of suicide (odds ratio [OR] 1.97, confidence interval [CI] 1.07-3.62), about asphyxia by a method other than car exhaust (OR 1.72, CI 1.36-2.18), about suicide by jumping from a building (OR 1.70, CI 1.28-2.26) or about suicide pacts (OR 1.63, CI 1.14-2.35), or a headline that included the suicide method (OR 1.41, CI 1.07-1.86). Elements most strongly and independently associated with decreased suicides were unfavourable characteristics (negative judgments about the deceased; OR 1.85, CI 1.20-2.84), or mentions of railway (OR 1.61, CI 1.10-2.36) and cutting or stabbing (OR 1.59, CI 1.19-2.13) deaths, and individual murder-suicide (OR 1.50, CI 1.23-1.84). INTERPRETATION: This large study identified significant associations between several specific elements of media reports and suicide deaths. It suggests that reporting on suicide can have a meaningful impact on suicide deaths and that journalists and media outlets and organizations should carefully consider the specific content of reports before publication.
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“We have long known that publicized suicides can lead to more people choosing suicide (Sinyor et al. 2018).”
From The realities of Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada (2023) · cites this paper as Sinyor et al. 2018
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Cites
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Youth Suicide Risk and Preventive Interventions: A Review of the Past 10 Years
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Role of media reports in completed and prevented suicide: Werther v. Papageno effects
Niederkrotenthaler, T., Voracek, M., Herberth, A., Till, B., Strauss, M., Etzersdorfer, E., Eisenwort, B., & Sonneck, G. (2010) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.109.074633 · Cited by 719
Self-citationMedia contagion and suicide among the young
Gould, M., Jamieson, P., & Romer, D. (2003) · American Behavioral Scientist · doi:10.1177/0002764202250670 · Cited by 429
Suicide in the Media: A Quantitative Review of Studies Based on Nonfictional Stories
Stack, S. J. (2005) · Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior · doi:10.1521/suli.35.2.121.62877 · Cited by 332
Gould, M. S., & KRAMER, R. A. (2001) · Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior · doi:10.1521/suli.31.1.5.6.24219 · Cited by 304
Media coverage as a risk factor in suicide
Stack, S. J. (2003) · Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health · doi:10.1136/jech.57.4.238 · Cited by 292
Changes in suicide rates following media reports on celebrity suicide: a meta-analysis
Niederkrotenthaler, T., Fu, K.-W., Yip, P. S. F., Fong, D. Y. T., Stack, S., Cheng, Q., & Pirkis, J. (2012) · Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health · doi:10.1136/jech-2011-200707 · Cited by 281
Self-citationMedia Guidelines on the Reporting of Suicide
Pirkis, J., Blood, R. W., Beautrais, A. L., Burgess, P. M., & Skehan, J. (2006) · Crisis · doi:10.1027/0227-5910.27.2.82 · Cited by 262
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Additional file 1 of Participatory model building for suicide prevention in Canada
Thompson, L. H., Lang, J. J., Olibris, B., Gauthier-Beaupré, A., Cook, H., Gillies, D., & Orpana, H. (2020) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.12082497
Comparing the Content of Media Articles Focused on Youth Suicide Versus Adult Suicide: Brief Report
Arias, K., Careau, J., & Whitley, R. (2025) · Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health · doi:10.7870/cjcmh-2025-003
The impact of media coverage of a celebrity suicide on suicide and attempted suicide rates in Taiwan
Chen, Y., Men, V. Y., Yeung, C. Y., Wu, K. C., Chi, Y., & Yip, P. S. F. (2026) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.118994
Patterns of media and social media consumption associated with suicidal ideation in Spanish children
Ibáñez, D. B., Garcés-Prettel, M., Castaño, L. C., Saldaña, S. M. V., Merchán-Clavellino, A., Santoya-Montes, Y., & Arroyave, J. (2026) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-026-06529-0 · Cited by 1
Sinyor, M., Mason, S. G., Chen, M. C.-S., Chan, P. P. M., Mitchell, R. H. B., Schaffer, A., Pirkis, J., Heisel, M. J., Goldstein, B. I., Redelmeier, D. A., et al. (2026) · Archives of Suicide Research · doi:10.1080/13811118.2026.2641563
Self-citationThe Quality of Suicide-Related Stories Generated by Large Language Models
Sinyor, M., Chan, P. P. M., Men, V. Y., Danaee, E., Mason, S. G., Till, B., Robinson, J., Pirkis, J., Schaffer, A., Steinberg, R. J., et al. (2026) · Crisis · doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a001069
Self-citationViehmann, C., Geiß, S., Mestas, M., Quiring, O., & Arendt, F. (2026) · Communication Research · doi:10.1177/00936502261480405
Metadata
- Authors
- Sinyor, M., Schaffer, A., Nishikawa, Y., Redelmeier, D. A., Niederkrotenthaler, T., Sareen, J., Levitt, A. J., Kiss, A., & Pirkis, J.
- Affiliations
- Sunnybrook Health Science Centre (CA)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Canadian Medical Association Journal
- Publisher
- CMA Joule Inc.
- Published
- 2018-07-29
- Volume
- 190
- Issue
- 30
- Pages
- E900-E907
- ISSN
- 0820-3946 (ISSN-L)
- 1488-2329
- PMC
- PMC6066401
- OpenAlex
- W2883254067
- Cited by
- 108
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 2
- FWCI
- 14.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Canadian Medical Association Journal (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
- Social Sciences › Communication › Media Influence and Health
- Keywords
- suicide contagion, suicide mortality, suicide pact, asphyxia, homicide-suicide, suicide prevention
- MeSH terms
- Suicide Prevention, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Child, Female, Humans, Male, Mass Media, Middle Aged, Ontario, Suicide, Multivariate Analysis, Logistic Models, Age Distribution, Sex Distribution, Young Adult, Protective Factors
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