Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of suicide reports by mass media and social support on suicide ideation for college students. Methods: Participants are 350 undergraduate students in one university. This study uses three questionnaires: Perception and Attitude toward Suicide Reports, Social Support, and Suicidal Ideation. The SPSS/WIN 12.0 program is used to analyze the data. In particular, the participants' biographical data are analyzed into frequency and percentage. The degrees of suicide reports, social support, and suicide ideation are calculated into Mean and SD. Moreover, the suicide ideation by suicide report and social support are analyzed by the two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: This study reveals that college students have an average of 30 minutes to one hour news time a day (38.9%) and have at least one suicide report in a month (30.3%). 79.7% participants believe that the suicide report of mass media results in the cause of the copycat suicide. In terms of suicide report and suicide ideation, the types of mass media (F (4,340)=2.41, p<.05) and suicidal urge (F (1,340)=31.23, p<.01), respectively, have significant influences on suicide ideation. On the other hand, the social support and suicide ideation, whether college students have their mentors (F (1,328)=13.26, p<.001) and/or careres (F (1,328)=26.84, p<.001) have significant influences on suicide ideation. Conclusion: College students have higher suicide ideation at news by internet site rather than by radio, TV, and so on. Moreover, college students who have a suicide feeling in the last one year, have more suicide ideation than who have not. On the other hand, college students who have a mentor and carer tend to have less suicide ideation.

Keywords

• Suicide ideation;
• Suicide reports;
• Social support;
• College students;
• Copycat effect