Attitudes towards suicide attempts broadcast on social media: an exploratory study of Chinese microblogs

doi:10.7717/peerj.1209

	Attitudes towards suicide attempts broadcast on social media: an exploratory study of Chinese microblogs
	Li, Ang 1,2,3; Huang, Xiaoxiao 3; Hao, Bibo 3,4; O'Dea, Bridianne 2; Christensen, Helen 2; Zhu, Tingshao 3,5
	2015-09-08
发表期刊	PEERJ
ISSN	2167-8359
卷号	3 页码:17
摘要	Introduction. Broadcasting a suicide attempt on social media has become a public health concern in many countries, particularly in China. In these cases, social media users are likely to be the first to witness the suicide attempt, and their attitudes may determine their likelihood of joining rescue efforts. This paper examines Chinese social media (Weibo) users' attitudes towards suicide attempts broadcast on Weibo. Methods. A total of 4,969 Weibo posts were selected from a customised Weibo User Pool which consisted of 1.06 million active users. The selected posts were then independently coded by two researchers using a coding framework that assessed: (a) Themes, (b) General attitudes, (c) Stigmatising attitudes, (d) Perceived motivations, and (e) Desired responses. Results and Discussion. More than one third of Weibo posts were coded as "stigmatising" (35%). Among these, 22%, 16%, and 15% of posts were coded as "deceitful," " pathetic," and " stupid," respectively. Among the posts which reflected different types of perceived motivations, 57% of posts were coded as " seeking attention." Among the posts which reflected desired responses, 37% were " not saving" and 28% were " encouraging suicide." Furthermore, among the posts with negative desired responses (i.e., " not saving" and " encouraging suicide"), 57% and 17% of them were related to different types of stigmatising attitudes and perceived motivations, respectively. Specifically, 29% and 26% of posts reflecting both stigmatising attitudes and negative desired responses were coded as " deceitful" and " pathetic," respectively, while 66% of posts reflecting both perceived motivations, and negative desired responses were coded as " seeking attention." Very few posts " promoted literacy" (2%) or " provided resources" (8%). Gender differences existed inmultiple categories. Conclusions. This paper confirms the need for stigma reduction campaigns for Chinese social media users to improve their attitudes towards those who broadcast their suicide attempts on social media. Results of this study support the need for improved public health programs in China and may be insightful for other countries and other social media platforms.
关键词	China Social media Stigma Microblog Suicide Weibo
DOI	10.7717/peerj.1209
收录类别	SCI
语种	英语
资助项目	National High-Tech R&D Program of China[2013AA01A606] ; National Basic Research Program of China[2014CB744600] ; Key Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)[KJZD-EWL04] ; CAS Strategic Priority Research Program[XDA06030800]
WOS研究方向	Science & Technology - Other Topics
WOS类目	Multidisciplinary Sciences
WOS记录号	WOS:000360938400001
出版者	PEERJ INC
引用统计	被引频次：29[WOS] [WOS记录] [WOS相关记录]
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.204/handle/2XEOYT63/9383
专题	中国科学院计算技术研究所期刊论文_英文
通讯作者	Li, Ang
作者单位	1.Beijing Forestry Univ, Dept Psychol, Beijing, Peoples R China 2.Univ New S Wales, Black Dog Inst, Sydney, NSW, Australia 3.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Psychol, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China 4.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Sch Comp & Control, Beijing, Peoples R China 5.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Comp Technol, Beijing, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Li, Ang,Huang, Xiaoxiao,Hao, Bibo,et al. Attitudes towards suicide attempts broadcast on social media: an exploratory study of Chinese microblogs[J]. PEERJ,2015,3:17.
APA	Li, Ang,Huang, Xiaoxiao,Hao, Bibo,O'Dea, Bridianne,Christensen, Helen,&Zhu, Tingshao.(2015).Attitudes towards suicide attempts broadcast on social media: an exploratory study of Chinese microblogs.PEERJ,3,17.
MLA	Li, Ang,et al."Attitudes towards suicide attempts broadcast on social media: an exploratory study of Chinese microblogs".PEERJ 3(2015):17.