Belief in suicide prevention myths and its effect on helping: a nationally representative survey of Australian adults

Abstract

Background Debunking suicide myths, such as ‘asking someone about suicide could make them start thinking about it’ is a common strategy in suicide prevention education. However, there has been little research investigating the relationship between suicide myths and helping behavior toward people at risk of suicide. We aimed to identify sociodemographic characteristics associated with belief in eight common suicide myths and the associations between beliefs in these myths and helping intentions and behaviors toward a family member or friend in severe distress or at risk of suicide. Methods We conducted a random digit dial (mobile and landline) survey of 3002 Australian adults. We asked respondents about their beliefs in suicide myths, intentions to help a person in severe distress or at risk of suicide presented in a vignette, and helping actions taken toward such a person in the last 12 months. We weighted this data to be representative of the Australian population. Regression analyses were undertaken to determine associations between sociodemographic and exposure characteristics and beliefs in suicide myths, and between beliefs in myths and helping intentions and behaviors. Results Being male, speaking a language other than English at home and being over 60 years were associated with the strongest beliefs in suicide myths. The strongest and most consistent associations were found between belief in the myth ‘asking someone about suicide could make them start thinking about it’, risk assessment intentions and behaviours and intentions to undertaken actions not recommended for suicide prevention. Conclusions Identifying those sociodemographic groups most likely to believe in suicide myths allows targeted intervention for suicide prevention education ‘debunking’ suicide myths. By isolating those myths that are most commonly believed, and their specific effects on helping intentions and behaviors, suicide prevention educators can target these specific myths to have the most effect on helping behavior. Our findings suggest that targeting the myth ‘asking someone about suicide could make them start thinking about it’ may have the greatest effects on helping behavior, and that men, those aged over 60 years and those speaking a language other than English at home could most benefit from myth ‘debunking’.

Indian media professionals’ perspectives regarding the role of media in suicide prevention and receptiveness to media guidelines: a qualitative study

“…Debunking suicide myths, such as there is nothing you can do to prevent suicide, is an important and common strategy adopted in suicide prevention education. 35 36 Our findings strongly indicate that engagement with media professionals in India around responsible suicide reporting ought to be accompanied by broader suicide prevention education to allow any personal doubts and misbeliefs to be ventilated and responded to and to support their reporting to directly challenge suicide myths. It may not only be media professionals who would benefit from this, while we have focused our research on media professionals, it is important to highlight that evidence from elsewhere in the world suggests that mental health professionals themselves may also hold heterogeneous subjective positions on the role of media in suicide prevention.…”

Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of a New Online Self-Help Intervention for Depression among Korean College Students’ Families

“…We found this scale by searching the literature to identify existing measures of attitudes towards suicide prevention. However, this scale includes items relating to suicide prevention myths that do not suit Korean culture [ 37 , 38 ]. Therefore, we only used 14 items (1, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, 31, 37) to represent attitudes toward suicide prevention [ 38 ].…”

“…However, this scale includes items relating to suicide prevention myths that do not suit Korean culture [ 37 , 38 ]. Therefore, we only used 14 items (1, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, 31, 37) to represent attitudes toward suicide prevention [ 38 ]. Each item was scored on a five-point scale (1–5), with higher total scores indicating an adaptive attitude toward suicide prevention.…”

Uncovering Blind Spots in the Intention to Provide Adequate Help to Suicidal Individuals

“…These risk factors are assumed to increase actual suicidality in individuals over time, making suicide more likely (see Wasserman, 2016, for more details). Despite the logical assumption that the suicide risk factors of individuals who need help may affect others' helping intentions (Nicholas, Niederkrotenthaler et al, 2020), there is a lack of knowledge regarding whether these risk factors for actual suicide enhance perceived suicidality by those close to them (i.e., those who can provide help to those in need) and thus increase their willingness to help.…”

“…The present study focuses on person-related attributes such as gender, sexuality, or previous suicide attempts (i.e., attributes of those who need help) and whether these attributes influence other people's willingness to offer help. As Nicholas, Niederkrotenthaler et al (2020) emphasized, it is imperative for individuals in the general population to be able to identify expressions by those close to them that indicate an increased suicide risk, thus allowing them to respond in an appropriate way. As noted above, suicide experts have a relatively clear understanding of what constitutes an appropriate way to provide support to suicidal individuals (Sonneck et al, 2012).…”