Multivariate Analysis of Factors for Search on Suicide Using Social Big Data

Abstract

Objectives: The study is aimed at examining the individual reasons and regional/environmental factors of online search on suicide using social big data to predict practical behaviors related to suicide and to develop an online suicide prevention system on the governmental level. Methods: The study was conducted using suicide-related social big data collected from online news sites, blogs, cafes, social network services and message boards between January 1 and December 31, 2011 (321,506 buzzes from users assumed as adults and 67,742 buzzes from those assumed as teenagers). Technical analysis and development of the suicide search prediction model were done using SPSS 20.0, and the structural model, nd multi-group analysis was made using AMOS 20.0. Also, HLM 7.0 was applied for the multilevel model analysis of the determinants of search on suicide by teenagers. Results: A summary of the results of multivariate analysis is as follows. First, search on suicide by adults appeared to increase on days when there were higher number of suicide incidents, higher number of search on drinking, higher divorce rate, lower birth rate and higher average humidity. Second, search on suicide by teenagers rose on days when there were higher number of teenage suicide incidents, higher number of search on stress or drinking and less fine dust particles. Third, the comparison of the results of the structural equation model analysis of search on suicide by adults and teenagers showed that teenagers were more likely to proceed from search on stress to search on sports, drinking and suicide, while adults significantly tended to move from search on drinking to search on suicide. Fourth, the result of the multilevel model analysis of determinants of search on suicide by teenagers showed that monthly teenagers suicide rate and average humidity had positive effect on the amount of search on suicide. Conclusions: The study shows that both adults and teenagers are influenced by various reasons to experience stress and search on suicide on the Internet. Therefore, we need to develop diverse school-level programs that can help relieve teenagers of stress and workplace-level programs to get rid of the work-related stress of adults.