News Coverage of Suicides in Print Media in Developing Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The incidence of suicides has been studied vastly over the past decade, specifically focusing on developing nations. Research articles have shown that the risk factors for suicides differ from those of developed nations. In the context of an increasing number of suicides in developing nations, studies of news reporting on suicides have been seen as an essential aspect of suicide prevention. News reporting of suicides has been viewed through the prism of applying journalistic tools whose spectrum ranges from the adherence to the World Health Organisation to the objectivity applied in news treatment, placement and periodicity of suicide reporting. This research predominantly focuses on literature covering aspects of suicide reporting in print media in developing nations. The literature published in journals with primary data collection tools between 2010 and 2021 is delved into for accurate analysis and interpretations to achieve the aim of this research. This systematic literature review explores what aspects have gained prominence in the study of news reporting on suicides in developing nations over the past decade. Most studies on news reporting of suicides taken for review focus on a content analysis research method (78.9%). The conceptual framework of these research studies has relied on adherence to the World Health Organisation while reporting on suicides. The review of literature assesses various aspects of reporting styles or the impact of their reporting on suicides to prevent copycat suicides or an imitation effect.