Death rates of characters in soap operas on British television: is a government health warning required?

Crayford, Tim; Hooper, Richard; Evans, Sarah

doi:10.1136/bmj.315.7123.1649

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The methodological approach developed here (although analogous to methods utilised for measuring mortality in soap opera characters)34 provides a novel technique for assessing differential mortality and survival for populations observed over an extended time period. Importantly, it is applicable where conventional techniques to calculate population-standardised mortality ratios are precluded by an inability to estimate appropriate population denominators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elvis to Eminem: quantifying the price of fame through early mortality of European and North American rock and pop stars

Bellis

Hennell²,

Lushey

et al. 2007

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

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Background: Rock and pop stars are frequently characterised as indulging in high-risk behaviours, with highprofile deaths amongst such musicians creating an impression of premature mortality. However, studies to date have not quantified differences between mortality experienced by such stars and general populations. Objective: This study measures survival rates of famous musicians (n = 1064) from their point of fame and compares them to matched general populations in North America and Europe. Design: We describe and utilise a novel actuarial survival methodology which allows quantification of excess post-fame mortality in pop stars. Participants: Individuals from North America and Europe performing on any album in the All-Time Top 1000 albums from the music genres rock, punk, rap, R&B, electronica and new age. Results: From 3 to 25 years post fame, both North American and European pop stars experience significantly higher mortality (more than 1.7 times) than demographically matched populations in the USA and UK, respectively. After 25 years of fame, relative mortality in European (but not North American) pop stars begins to return to population levels. Five-year post-fame survival rates suggest differential mortality between stars and general populations was greater in those reaching fame before 1980. Conclusion: Pop stars can suffer high levels of stress in environments where alcohol and drugs are widely available, leading to health-damaging risk behaviour. However, their behaviour can also influence would-be stars and devoted fans. Collaborations between health and music industries should focus on improving both pop star health and their image as role models to wider populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elvis to Eminem: quantifying the price of fame through early mortality of European and North American rock and pop stars

Bellis

Hennell²,

Lushey

et al. 2007

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

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“…Characters have much more favourable outcomes from coma, but they also seem to face an extraordinarily high all cause mortality 38. Soap operas are not designed with the goal of educating the public about the realities of health and illness or even about the realities of interpersonal relationships, but they may contribute to public misperceptions in these areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology and prognosis of coma in daytime television dramas

Casarett

Fishman

MacMoran

et al. 2005

BMJ

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Objective To determine how soap operas portray, and possibly misrepresent, the likelihood of recovery for patients in coma. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Nine soap operas in the United States reviewed between 1 January 1995 and 15 May 2005. Subjects 64 characters who experienced a period of unconsciousness lasting at least 24 hours. Their final status at the end of the follow-up period was compared with pooled data from a meta-analysis. Results Comas lasted a median of 13 days (interquartile range 7-25 days). Fifty seven (89%) patients recovered fully, five (8%) died, and two (3%) remained in a vegetative state. Mortality for non-traumatic and traumatic coma was significantly lower than would be predicted from the meta-analysis data (non-traumatic 4% v 53%; traumatic 6% v 67%; Fisher's exact test both P < 0.001). On the day that patients regained consciousness, most (49/57; 86%) had no evidence of limited function, cognitive deficit, or residual disability needing rehabilitation. Compared with meta-analysis data, patients in this sample had a much better than expected chance of returning to normal function (non-traumatic 91% v 1%; traumatic 89% v 7%; both P < 0.001). Conclusions The portrayal of coma in soap operas is overly optimistic. Although these programmes are presented as fiction, they may contribute to unrealistic expectations of recovery.

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“…Watching soap operas does require a considered approach, which, without guidance and explanation, can prove difficult for those with autistic-spectrum disorder who may be literal and pedantic. The caricature of life and death -in particular the high rates of deaths resulting from external causesmay pose difficulties for this group (Crayford et al, 1997;Clement, 1998). The value of using soap operas in therapy must also be carefully balanced against the possible negative effects of excessive television viewing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Therapeutic use of soap operas in autistic-spectrum disorders

Breen¹

2007

Psychiatr. bull.

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hope that this system of on call, which we believe is not replicated elsewhere in the country, provokes discussion about best practice in out-of-hours psychiatric provision. This could be a model as to how high standards can be maintained while ensuring that career grade doctors have satisfactory and enjoyable working lives. Recruitment and retention of consultant psychiatrists remains an ongoing problem and improving the quality of a consultant's working life both in and out of hours will help address this issue.

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Death rates of characters in soap operas on British television: is a government health warning required?

Cited by 12 publications

References 3 publications

Elvis to Eminem: quantifying the price of fame through early mortality of European and North American rock and pop stars

Elvis to Eminem: quantifying the price of fame through early mortality of European and North American rock and pop stars

Epidemiology and prognosis of coma in daytime television dramas

Therapeutic use of soap operas in autistic-spectrum disorders

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