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A Study of the Impact of Thirteen Celebrity Suicides on Subsequent Suicide Rates in South Korea from 2005 to 2009

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  • King-wa Fu
  • C H Chan

Abstract

A number of ecological studies have found a pattern of increasing suicide rates after suicides of several Asian entertainment celebrities. However, the finding may be subject to positive outcome bias where cases with no perceived impact may be routinely excluded. In this study, we deploy interrupted time-series analysis using ARIMA transfer function models to investigate systematically the impact of thirteen celebrity suicides on subsequent suicide rates in South Korea. We find that three out of eleven cases were found to be followed by a significant increase in suicide rate, while controlling for seasonality, secular trends, and unemployment rates. Such significant increases could last for nine weeks. Non-significance cases may be attributable to the small amount of media coverage, the “displacement” effect of preceding case, and the negative connotation of celebrity deaths. We therefore conclude that whether or not the impacts were detected may be largely conditioned by various contextual factors. Current evidence based on ecological studies is insufficient to draw a firm conclusion. Further studies using multiple approaches should be developed.

Suggested Citation

  • King-wa Fu & C H Chan, 2013. "A Study of the Impact of Thirteen Celebrity Suicides on Subsequent Suicide Rates in South Korea from 2005 to 2009," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(1), pages 1-7, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0053870
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053870
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Coggan, Carolyn & Patterson, Pam & Fill, Jacqui, 1997. "Suicide: Qualitative data from focus group interviews with youth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 45(10), pages 1563-1570, November.
    2. Chang, Shu-Sen & Gunnell, David & Sterne, Jonathan A.C. & Lu, Tsung-Hsueh & Cheng, Andrew T.A., 2009. "Was the economic crisis 1997-1998 responsible for rising suicide rates in East/Southeast Asia? A time-trend analysis for Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 1322-1331, April.
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    1. Jae-Hyun Kim & Eun-Cheol Park & Jung-Mo Nam & SoHee Park & Jaelim Cho & Sun-Jung Kim & Jae-Woo Choi & Eun Cho, 2013. "The Werther Effect of Two Celebrity Suicides: an Entertainer and a Politician," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(12), pages 1-1, December.
    2. Vikas Menon & Sujita Kumar Kar & Marthoenis Marthoenis & SM Yasir Arafat & Ginni Sharma & Charanya Kaliamoorthy & Ramdas Ransing & Srijeeta Mukherjee & Jigyansa Ipsita Pattnaik & Nikhilesh B Shirahatt, 2021. "Is there any link between celebrity suicide and further suicidal behaviour in India?," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 67(5), pages 453-460, August.
    3. Soonjoo Park & Yeong-Jun Song & Jinseob Kim & Myung Ki & Ji-Yeon Shin & Young-Man Kwon & Jiseun Lim, 2018. "Age, Period, and Cohort Effects on Suicide Mortality in South Korea, 1992–2015," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-8, July.
    4. Mehdi Ben Khelil & Meriem Gharbaoui & Fethia Farhani & Malek Zaafrane & Hana Harzallah & Mohamed Allouche & Mongi Zhioua & Moncef Hamdoun, 2016. "Impact of the Tunisian Revolution on homicide and suicide rates in Tunisia," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 61(9), pages 995-1002, December.

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