媒體報導名人自殺的影響：臺灣安心專線來電之混合方法研究

Abstract

背景：研究顯示媒體報導名人自殺易引起仿效行為，或是增加後續的自殺事件。過去研究較少檢驗媒體報導名人自殺對大眾求助行為的影響。本研究的目的為探討媒體報導一位台灣年輕女作家林奕含自殺身亡事件後，台灣自殺防治安心專線來電趨勢的變化，並分析安心專線來電內容，探討此事件對民眾的影響。 方法：研究資料來自安心專線2015年至2017年間的資料。使用整合移動平均自我迴歸 (ARIMA, autoregressive integrated moving average) 模型進行時間序列分析 (time series analysis) ，估計媒體報導林奕含自殺後兩週內安心專線的每日來電趨勢。使用內容分析法 (content analysis) 分析與此事件相關的安心專線來電內容，並整理出來電者主要談論的主題。 結果：在2015年到2017年間，安心專線接聽了161,525通具有完整來電者性別及年齡資訊的來電，這些來電納入ARIMA模型中進行分析。ARIMA (2,0,1)迴歸模型顯示：20至29歲的女性在媒體報導後第一天 (=9.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.11 to 18.75; p=0.048) 與第二天 (=11.97, 95% CI: 2.51 to 21.44; p=0.013) 有較多的來電數。同時也發現小於20歲的男性在媒體報導後第五天 (=5.20, 95% CI: 2.00 to 8.39; p=0.002) 以及30至39歲的男性在媒體報導後第十四天 (=13.39, 95% CI: 4.10 to 22.69; p=0.005) 有較多來電數；但40至49歲的女性在媒體報導後第十二天的來電數較少 (=-12.76, 95% CI: -25.26 to -0.25; p=0.046)。內容分析法的結果顯示，安心專線來電者談論林奕含自殺事件的內容可歸納為五大主題：心理認同與自殺想法、情緒反應、回想起壓抑的被性侵或性騷經驗、精神疾病，以及擔心的親友。 結論：在媒體報導一位台灣年輕女性作家自殺身亡的新聞後，安心專線在年輕族群的來電量上升。與林奕含有類似經歷的來電者（例如曾被性騷或性侵，或是同樣罹患精神疾病），於來電內容中提到對其自殺的認同或情緒困擾，甚至有些來電者有模仿她自殺的意圖。

Introduction: Media reporting of celebrity suicides may induce imitative suicides. This study was aimed to investigate whether calls to Taiwan’s National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) increased after the extensive media reporting of the suicide of a young female writer, Yi-han Lin, at the age of 26 years on April 27, 2017, and how the callers responded to Lin’s suicide. Methods: Data were extracted for calls to the NSPL in 2015-2017. The autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA) was used to estimate the effect of the media reporting on Lin’s suicide on the daily number of calls to NSPL in the first two weeks after the suicide. Content analysis was conducted to identify the main themes in the conversions related to Lin’s suicide. Results: A total of 161,525 calls with complete information on callers’ gender and age were included in the time-series analysis. ARIMA (2,0,1) regression models showed that females aged 20-29 years made more calls on the first day (=9.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.11 to 18.75; p=0.048) and the second day (=11.97, 95% CI: 2.51 to 21.44; p=0.013) after Lin’s suicide. An increase in the number of calls were also found in male callers aged <20 on day 5 (=5.20, 95% CI: 2.00 to 8.39; p=0.002), and male callers aged 30-39 on day 14 (=13.39, 95% CI: 4.10 to 22.69; p=0.005), while a decrease was found in female callers aged 40-49 on day 12 (=-12.76, 95% CI: -25.26 to -0.25; p=0.046). The content analysis identified five themes in the conversations related to Lin’s suicide: psychological identification and suicidal thought, emotional impact of reading news about Lin’s suicide; suppressed experiences of sexual harassment or abuse being recalled; mental illness; and concerned family members and friends. Conclusion: An increase in the calls to a national lifeline was found in the younger age groups after extensive media reporting of suicide of a young female Taiwanese writer. Callers who had similar experiences (sexual harassment or abuse and mental illness) as Lin’s reported psychological identification, emotional distress, and sometimes an intent to imitate her suicide.