Keywords

sociology; gender-based violence; intimate partner violence; guyana; suicide; media

Abstract

Guyana, a geographically South American yet culturally Caribbean country, has the highest suicide rate in the Western hemisphere and has maintained one of the highest suicide rates globally for over a decade. Despite this public health crisis, limited research exists examining the issue. High rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) exist concurrently with the country’s high suicide rates, yet limited research exists examining these issues together. Considering the effect of the media on public perception and belief structures, this reflexive thematic analysis explores how gender is presented in articles regarding IPV and suicide from Guyana’s government-managed newspaper The Guyana Chronicle. The study sample was articles published in The Guyana Chronicle between March 1, 2020, and August 31, 2025. Articles were identified in the NewsBank Inc. Access World News database using search terms related to suicide (e.g., suicide ideation, suicide attempt) and IPV (e.g., domestic violence, battering). The resulting articles, after eliminating duplicates, comprise the analytic sample.

The key finding of this study was the consistent shifting of accountability to women in both IPV-related and suicide-related articles. Women, including female perpetrators, female victims, and female persons who attempted suicide, were portrayed significantly more negatively than men. Additionally, men were often humanized in suicide-related and IPV-related articles, with attentive detail given to their aspirations, occupations, nicknames, and environmental influences. These patterns were consistent in articles with both suicide and IPV as well (i.e., murder-suicides). Overall, this thematic analysis highlights the need for refined media guidelines regarding suicide and IPV and legislation in Guyana targeting IPV and suicide together.

Thesis Completion Year

2026

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Cares, Alison

College

College of Sciences

Department

Department of Sociology

Thesis Discipline

Sociology

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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