Exploring drought and suicide framing in Indian newspaper articles

Abstract

Introduction: Newspapers play an important role in awareness-raising and influence public perception. An exploration of the association between climate change (drought) and mental health (suicide) in Indian newspaper articles was needed. Methods: Data consisted of 55 newspaper articles from four online Indian English-language newspapers published between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2019. Articles were thematically analysed incorporating an abductive frame analysis. Results: The association between drought and suicide in the reporting was framed as: (i) primarily affecting male farmers, (ii) drought leading to suicide through livelihood disruption, (iii) government responsibility for livelihood disruption, and (iv) drought and suicide being a hopeless case with no solution. Episodic and thematic framing were used to a similar extent. There was no reference to climate change. The framing might limit individual coping and adaptive capacities. Conclusion: The selected newspaper articles portrayal of suicide and drought might limit the public’s support for sustainable solutions to address mental health issues in the context of a changing climate.