Effects of reading positive media reports on suicide

Recruiting

Conditions: The study will seek to test the protective effects of exposure to educative suicide prevention messaging in the print media in India on beliefs about refraining from suicide

Brief Summary: Approximately 28% of global suicides occurs in India (17% of world population) and responsible media reporting of suicide holds promise as a low cost strategy in this resource constrained setting. Research by the investigators has documented that print media in India offers readers a daily diet of prominent, graphic and simplistic reports of suicidal behaviours written by crime reporters. The report contravenes WHO media guidelines and carries substantial risks for the population while missing opportunities to draw on suicide prevention content. Research from many ecological studies from elsewhere in the world suggests that many lives could be saved each year in India through improved media reporting. There is however, scarce evidence and we do not know what effects guideline oriented reporting will have in the very different context of India . We therefore propose a multiple group randomised controlled trial to assess the protective effects of exposure to educative suicide content in the print media in India on beliefs about refraining from suicide as well as on knowledge, attitudes and behavioural outcomes. This will be the first such experiment in South Asia and promises to have a profound impact on media guidelines or practices in the region and consequently a meaningful reduction in suicide rates

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Eligible participants will be young adults 18-29 years of age based in Chennai who consent to participate.

Exclusion Criteria

Youth with low literacy and who belong to a health profession or a student of a health-related course.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Primary outcomes are	Baseline \| Immediately after exposure \| Two weeks after the exposure
1.Beliefs about refraining from suicide measured using The Survival and Coping Beliefs subscale of the Reasons for Living Scale	Baseline \| Immediately after exposure \| Two weeks after the exposure

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
1.Suicide prevention knowledge will be measured by the Literacy of Suicide Scale LOSS	2.Intended help-seeking behaviour will be measured by The General Help-Seeking Questionnaire GHSQ

Locations (1): Resource Centre for Youth Mental Health Services- SCARF
🇮🇳
Chennai, TAMIL NADU, India
Resource Centre for Youth Mental Health Services- SCARF
🇮🇳Chennai, TAMIL NADU, India
Shuba Kumar
Principal investigator
9840345007
shubakumar@samarthngo.org