J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2020 Feb;59(1):72-85. 10.4306/jknpa.2020.59.1.72.

Semantic Network Analysis of Iussues Related to Mental Illness in Korea Media: Focusing on the Five Major Media from 2016 to 2018

• Park SJ
• Shin NR
• Kim SH
• Park SB
• Kim CE

• KMID: 2471268
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2020.59.1.72

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study examined the trend of press reports on mental illness in Korea to help set a desirable direction for future press reports on the subject.
METHODS
This study adopted the method of semantic network analysis to analyze the trend of press reporting on mental illness in Korea. The study analyzed 1253 newspaper articles from 2016 to 2018 published by the five major Korean press: The Kyunghyang Shinmun, The Dong-A Ilbo, The Chosun Ilbo, The JoongAng Ilbo, and The Hankyoreh.
RESULTS
The number of articles on mental illness is on the decline year by year, with 465 articles in 2016, 406 in 2017, and 382 in 2018. According to keyword analysis, the order of the words of the highest frequency is as follows: treatment (659), patients (486), mental health (466), incidents (436), and children and adolescents (413). In terms of the Degree Centrality, Closeness Centrality, and Betweenness Centrality, the following words are commonly ranked within the top 10 on the lists: treatment, children and adolescents, patient, mental health, depressive disorder, family, suicide, and counselling.
CONCLUSION
The press should pay more attention to mental illness, and its reporting should guarantee accuracy, objectivity, fairness, diversity, and social responsibility. In addition, reports on mental illness need to provide balanced health information, considering the readers, from basic information on mental illness to detailed treatment methods. Establishing reporting guidelines for mental illness would help reduce harm and prejudice related to mental illness and increase access to treatment.

Keyword

Mental illness; Semantic network analysis; Newspaper articles

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Child
Depressive Disorder
Humans
Korea*
Mental Health
Methods
Prejudice
Semantics*
Social Responsibility
Suicide

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Sociogram of the top 30 keywords based on degree centrality.

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