Do Dutch News Reports About Suicide Refer to Suicide Prevention Strategies?

Abstract

Abstract. Background: Previous research and media guidelines suggest two potential protective characteristics of news reports about suicide: (1) individuals who adopt coping strategies other than suicidal behavior are described and (2) information about resources for support is provided. Aims: Our aim was to investigate the extent to which Dutch news reports contain these two potential protective characteristics. Method: A random selection of Dutch news reports ( N = 296) published in the previous 6 months was coded on the presence of each of the two potential protective characteristics. Results: Of the 296 news reports, 50 news reports (16.9%) mentioned available resources for support. Only one news report (0.3%) described an individual who adopted coping strategies other than suicidal behavior in adverse circumstances, namely, entering a mental health care institution. Limitations: One of the limitations is that, owing to the selection of news reports, conclusions pertain only to news reports published by Dutch media sources with the most readership in that period. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that current knowledge about protective characteristics of news reports on suicide needs to be better implemented in The Netherlands.