The Werther effect of celebrity suicides: Evidence from South Korea

Ha, Jeongmin; Yang, Hee-Seung

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0249896

Cited by 21 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…This study found that the risk of copycat suicide increased after the suicide of idol singer J and S. This is consistent with the results of existing studies regarding the presence of the Werther effect [9,22] and the increase in copycat suicides after celebrity suicides[6, 23,24]. A study by Jaehyun Kim(2013) claimed that after actor Choi Jin-sil committed suicide, the Werther effect was observed for eight weeks [7].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Werther Effect following the suicide of three Korean celebrities (2017 – 2018): application of the poisson regression model

Kim

Lee

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background The suicide rate of Korea in 2013–2016 and 2018–2019 was the highest among OECD countries. In Korea, suicide is ranked fifth among the causes of death, first in the cause of death among individuals in their 10s, 20s and 30s, and second among those in their 40s and 50s. To prevent the Werther effect (increase in copycat suicides following suicides of socially influential celebrities) Suicide Reporting Guidelines were established in 2004. This study aims to examine the Werther effect following the establishment of the Suicide Reporting Guidelines 3.0 and the suicide of idol singers. Methods The Poisson regression was performed using cause-of-death statistics microdata provided by Statistics Korea from 2016 to 2019. The experimental period was 10 weeks after each celebrity suicide, with the other period as the control period. Results After two idol singers’ suicides, the suicide rate increased significantly. However, after politician N's suicide, the risk of copycat suicide increased significantly only in week 7. Women aged < 40 years experienced a greater Werther effect than those in other population groups. Conclusions Most of the suicide-related harmful information is gathered from social networking sites (SNS), and the SNS utilization rate of those under 40 was above 70%. This suggests that the Suicide Reporting Guidelines should be strictly observed in all media to prevent the Werther effect.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Werther Effect following the suicide of three Korean celebrities (2017 – 2018): application of the poisson regression model

Kim

Lee

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Stereotypes toward suicide may be rooted in culture and social media [28][29][30][34][35][36][37]. The evidence linking stereotypes toward suicide and the ideation-to-action framework suggests potential suicide prevention strategies for suicide-related researchers and educators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies have examined the roles of public media in influencing audiences into mimicking suicide after highly publicized incidences of suicide, which is known as the Werther effect [34]. People are tragically led by highly publicized suicidal stories and then try to conduct suicide by imitation [35,36]. The increasing popularity of social platforms raised concerns about suicide contagion, and the mechanism of suicide contagion is thought to be based on social learning [37].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Roles of Endorsement and Stigma in Suicidal Ideation and Behavior among Chinese College Students

Lyu

Liu

2023

IJERPH

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Previous studies have suggested that stereotypes towards suicide, including endorsement of suicide and stigma toward suicide, may contribute to suicidal ideation and behaviors. However, this has not been examined directly. In this study, we examined whether endorsement of suicide and stigma toward suicide are involved in the pathway from suicidal ideation to suicide attempts among college students. To this end, we used the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS), the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R), and the Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS) to assess suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, endorsement of suicide, and stigma toward suicide, respectively, in a sample of 944 Chinese college students (mean age, 20.97 years). Using mediation analysis, we found that suicidal ideation partially mediated the relationship between endorsement of suicide and suicide attempts and between stigma toward suicide and suicide attempts. These findings provide novel evidence that endorsement of suicide and stigma toward suicide are closely associated with suicide attempts, but partially through the influences of suicidal ideation. Future studies should elaborate on their longitudinal relationships. Implications of these findings for clinical practices are discussed with reference to the ideation-to-action framework of suicide, aiming to reduce suicidal behaviors.

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“…Three dimensions have been identified for which social contagion appears to be a relevant explanatory framework in adolescent violence: the role of violent video games in aggressive behavior [ 11 ▪▪ , 12 ▪▪ , 13 ▪ ], the contagion of gun violence [ 14 ▪ , 15 ], and peer effects on bullying, cyber-bullying and violent offending [ 16 ▪▪ , 17 ▪▪ , 18 ▪ ]. Regarding adolescent mental health, although there are some studies that reference social contagion in relation to eating disorders [ 19 ▪ ] and alcohol interventions [ 20 ▪ ], most recent studies have focused on suicide [ 21 ▪▪ , 22 ▪ , 33 ▪▪ ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social contagion, violence, and suicide among adolescents

Martínez

Jiménez-Molina

Gerber

2023

Current Opinion in Psychiatry

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Purpose of reviewSocial Contagion is defined as the spread of behaviors, attitudes, and affect through crowds and other types of social aggregates from one member to another. Adolescents are prone to social contagion because they may be especially susceptible to peer influence and social media.In this article, we provide a brief review of the most recent findings on social contagion, violence, and suicide among adolescents.Recent findingsRecent evidence support social contagion in gun violence, bullying, cyberbullying, violent offending, and suicide, but is inconclusive on the role of violent video game exposure on aggressive behavior.SummaryThe mechanisms underlying the contagion effect of violence and suicide are currently unclear. It has been argued that social learning, identification with significant others, and the normalization of specific norms play a role. All these mechanisms require understanding social contagion as a complex interaction between individual, relational and social factors. This is key if the social contagion perspective is to be used not only to investigate negative outcomes, but also as a framework for promoting prosocial attitudes and behaviors. Additionally, more research is needed on psychosocial interventions and public policies to minimize the potential spillover effect of violence and suicide.

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The Werther effect of celebrity suicides: Evidence from South Korea

Cited by 21 publications

References 41 publications

Werther Effect following the suicide of three Korean celebrities (2017 – 2018): application of the poisson regression model

Werther Effect following the suicide of three Korean celebrities (2017 – 2018): application of the poisson regression model

The Roles of Endorsement and Stigma in Suicidal Ideation and Behavior among Chinese College Students

Social contagion, violence, and suicide among adolescents

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