Volume 25, Issue 1 (6-2026)
JRUMS 2026, 25(1): 91-100 |
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Rahmani A, Salari M, Vazirinejad R, Ahmadinia H, Rezaeian M. The Most Important Suicide Prevention Messages for Media Campaigns: A Policy Brief. JRUMS 2026; 25 (1) :91-100
URL: http://journal.rums.ac.ir/article-1-8024-en.html
URL: http://journal.rums.ac.ir/article-1-8024-en.html
Abstract: (6 Views)
Suicide is a complex behavior and a deliberate act of self-harm that results in death. Suicide prevention media campaigns, as targeted communication interventions that use the capacity of various media platforms, play an important role in increasing public awareness, reducing stigma, identifying individuals at risk, and encouraging them to seek help. The aim of this policy brief is to present the most important suicide prevention messages for use in media campaigns. This policy brief is derived from the results of a study conducted in two stages: first, messages extracted from a valid study were translated, culturally adapted, and validated with the participation of 28 experts. Then, the approved messages were prioritized by two groups, including people with lived experience (530 individuals) and professionals (64 individuals), and messages that received high or very high priority from at least 80% of both groups were selected as the most important messages. Accordingly, out of the total evaluated messages, 15 messages received the highest priority from both groups. Their main themes included taking expressions of suicide seriously, listening carefully and allowing the person to speak about their feelings, encouraging contact with a crisis hotline if the person has a suicide plan, and making suicide means safe when necessary. Considering that the audience of these messages is the general public, especially family members and friends of individuals at risk, their use in media campaigns can be an effective step toward timely identification and prevention of suicide.
Keywords: Suicide, Prevention messages, Campaign, Policy brief.
Funding: This study did not have any funds.
Conflict of interest: None declared.
Ethical considerations: The Ethics Committee of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences approved the study (IR.RUMS.REC.1397.246).
Authors’ contributions:
- Conceptualization: Mohsen Rezaeian
- Methodology: Abdollah Rahmani, Reza Vazirinejad, Hassan Ahmadinia, Mohsen Rezaeian
- Data collection: Abdollah Rahmani
- Formal analysis: Abdollah Rahmani, Hassan Ahmadinia
- Supervision: Mohsen Rezaeian
- Project administration: Mohsen Rezaeian
- Writing – original draft: Abdollah Rahmani, Mehrnoosh Salari, Reza Vazirinejad, Hassan Ahmadinia, Mohsen Rezaeian
- Writing – review & editing: Mehrnoosh Salari, Mohsen Rezaeian
Keywords: Suicide, Prevention messages, Campaign, Policy brief.
Funding: This study did not have any funds.
Conflict of interest: None declared.
Ethical considerations: The Ethics Committee of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences approved the study (IR.RUMS.REC.1397.246).
Authors’ contributions:
- Conceptualization: Mohsen Rezaeian
- Methodology: Abdollah Rahmani, Reza Vazirinejad, Hassan Ahmadinia, Mohsen Rezaeian
- Data collection: Abdollah Rahmani
- Formal analysis: Abdollah Rahmani, Hassan Ahmadinia
- Supervision: Mohsen Rezaeian
- Project administration: Mohsen Rezaeian
- Writing – original draft: Abdollah Rahmani, Mehrnoosh Salari, Reza Vazirinejad, Hassan Ahmadinia, Mohsen Rezaeian
- Writing – review & editing: Mehrnoosh Salari, Mohsen Rezaeian
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Citation: Rahmani A, Salari M, Vazirinejad R, Ahmadinia H, Rezaeian M. The Most Important Suicide Prevention Messages for Media Campaigns: A Policy Brief. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2026 Apr; 25 (1): 91-100. doi: 1066224/jrums.25.1.91. [Farsi]
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Psychiatry
Received: 2026/06/14 | Accepted: 2026/06/20 | Published: 2026/06/20
Received: 2026/06/14 | Accepted: 2026/06/20 | Published: 2026/06/20
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