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Analysis of Internet Suicide Pacts Reported by the Media in Mainland China
Fang-Fan Jiang1, Hui-Lan Xu1, Hui-Ying Liao1
11 XiangYa School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Background:
In mainland China, frequent Internet suicide pacts in recent years have raised strong concerns from several social sectors and the influence of social networks on suicide is constantly growing.
Aims:
To identify the epidemiological characteristics of media-reported Internet suicide pacts in mainland China.
Method:
Our study comprised 62 Internet suicide pacts involving 159 victims in mainland China before June 1, 2015. Kendall's randomness test, a trend test, and a circular distribution test were applied to identify the rising or concentrated trends in the time of occurrence of Internet suicide pacts.
Results:
The overall male-to-female ratio was 2.3:1. Suicide victims were mainly people in their 20s to 30s (84.1%). In all, 87.1% suicide victims completed suicide in sealed hotels or rental housing, and charcoal-burning suicide accounted for 80.6% of cases.
Conclusion:
People who complete suicide as part of an Internet suicide pact are more likely to be males, aged 20-30 years. Charcoal-burning suicide in sealed hotels or rental housing was the commonest way of dying.