EXTENDED SUMMARY

After the Covid-19 pandemic appeared in Turkey in 2020, various policy measures were taken quickly and restrictions were imposed, including curfews, between March 16 and May 31. Along with the restrictions negative social and economic effects in a short time, the intensity of suicide news related to poverty and unemployment, has revealed the need to investigate the effect of the Covid-19 process on suicides. In this direction, the main purpose of research is to examine the relationship between suicides and suicide attempts, which were reflected on the press during the aforementioned dates, with poverty and Covid-19.
Relational screening model was used in this study. The data regarding the scope of the research were obtained by examining the news of local and national press organizations with websites. In this context, a total of 3122 news contents, 1022 in the national press and 2100 in the local press, published between 16.03.2020-31.05.2020 and accessed through a media monitoring center and containing the word “suicide”, were examined. After eliminating the cases in the news that the same people were the subject of, and the news that did not appear to be news of suicide, 292 news of suicides were reached within the specified date range. It has been determined that 303 people committed suicide or attempted suicide in these news stories, three of which were considered as mass suicide. While the data of the study was collected from the news reflected in the press in the mentioned period, the possibility of cases not reflected in the press and the inability to support and / or compare the collected data with official data, since TUIK has not published official data since 2020, constitute the limitations of this study.
The information obtained during the analysis process was classified under the titles of name, age, gender, province of residence, reason for suicide, type of suicide, result of suicide and date of suicide, and thus quantitative data were obtained. Using the data obtained in the study, it was tried to understand the effects of covid-19 and poverty on suicides through the profile of those who committed or attempted suicide and the reasons for suicide.
Within the scope of the research, 56.7% of suicide attempts resulted in death. Based on this finding, it can be concluded that more than half of those who commit suicide are determined to commit suicide. Therefore, it is recommended that people who make statements or imply that they will commit suicide should be taken seriously and directed to seek psycho-social support.
When the reasons for suicide are evaluated, psychological reasons such as loneliness, loss/mourning, separation from a lover/spouse, psychiatric disorders, anger control problems take the first place, and economic reasons such as poverty, indebtedness and unemployment take the second place. The age range where suicides are most common is young adulthood, which covers the ages of 25-44. Looking at suicide methods, jumping from a height, shooting oneself with a firearm and hanging oneself are the most commonly used methods, respectively. In addition, an increase in suicides was observed from March to May during the restriction period.
One of the most striking data in the study is that 15 of the suicides, 9 of which were against women, occurred after violence and/or murder. Based on this data, it is understood that male violence is violence that males may makes himself direct. Therefore, it is thought that the high rate of male suicides is a subject that can be addressed in the context of gender and male violence and should be investigated. Regarding the economic-based suicides as the main focus of the study, unemployment was the first with 33.3%, followed by unpaid wages with 22.9%, debt with 18.7%, financial difficulties with 12.5%. It is followed that absolute poverty comes with 8.3% and other causes with 4.1%.
When economically-based suicides are examined, one of the two main findings is that suicide can occur as a form of action. It is understood that suicides that can be evaluated in this way have the purpose of meeting a demand or solving a problem. In addition, in these suicide attempts, it is thought that these suicides have a class character, since the addressee is the state when it comes to social assistance and the employer when it comes to business relations. Another finding is that the rupture of social bonds has a greater effect on suicides than poverty. It is understood that the rate of single people is higher in suicides resulting in death. The fact that this rate is lower in those who are married/married and have children is thought to be related to the roles and responsibilities as parents and the resistance created by family ties.