Unpacking sociopolitical determinants of suicide in networked movements: Exposure to protest suicides in Hong Kong

Protest suicides often trigger similar acts, which complicate suicide prevention efforts during political crises. While contagion is frequently attributed to imitation following exposure, public perception and response remain poorly understood. Examining the lived experiences of exposure to protest suicides can illuminate how individuals react to these events, why they react as they do, and where they derive resilience. This study investigates exposure to protest suicide during Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Bill movement in 2019 and uses in-depth interviews to explore why suicide did not spread beyond the first few cases. Participants perceived these suicides as understandable, yet not as political acts they would imitate. Five sociopolitical determinants – socio-political conditions, social media, leaderless movement dynamics, collective emotions and protester agency – shaped their responses. Understanding these factors and their interaction highlights risk and protective mechanisms to inform strength-based, culturally sensitive suicide prevention strategies in politically volatile contexts.