Media Coverage of Suicidal Behaviour in the Context of Slovenian Independence
Media Coverage of Suicidal Behaviour in the Context of Slovenian Independence

Summary/Abstract: Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia and became independent in 1991 after a ten-day war. Slovenia had the highest suicide rate of all Yugoslav member states. In Yugoslavia, all young men served in the military away from home in other Yugoslav republics. Some of them returned in coffins due to suicide. This was one of the factors resulting in the discussion about independence, in which Slovenian newspapers played a part. During wartime, suicide rates tend to be lower, though soldiers also face an array of suicide risk factors. The present study aimed to establish which stories about suicide were published in the Slovenian newspapers Delo and Večer. While analysing the period before, during, and after independence, we identified three predominant themes: stories about Slovenian soldiers, the political agenda, and informative articles. The political agenda – namely, the desire for independence and, later, the consequences of independence – was in the foreground before independence. Stories about Slovenian soldiers were most common during the period of Slovenian emancipation, with tales of actual suicides that involved firearms as the suicide method. In the post-independence period, though, we have mainly identified articles that provide insight into society’s attitude towards suicide. This study sheds light on how suicide in the military was portrayed in the Slovenian media before, during, and after independence.

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