The Suicidal Death of a Child

Research has suggested that the family relationship of a survivor to the victim of suicide can affect how the survivor will be perceived, but no studies have investigated the impact of parental status (parent versus stepparent) on the perception others will have of the parents of a youngster who commits suicide. In this investigation, 210 participants (71 men and 139 women) read typeset obituaries describing the suicidal death of an 18-year-old young man or young woman. Survivors were described as mother and father, father and stepmother, or mother and stepfather. Ratings (derived from previous studies of the social perception of survivors) were obtained to reflect the impressions participants had of the stepparents. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated a main effect for status of parents (i.e., stepparents versus biological parents). Although there were no reliable differences on several items, stepparents were viewed as having been less “close” to the young person, as taking less time to “recover psychologically” from the loss, and stepmothers were rated as less “likable.” These findings suggest that even in situations (i.e., the suicidal death of a child) where social perceptions are likely to be more negative toward any bereaved parent, stepparents may face an additional burden of negative social perception

Affect (linguistics · Developmental psychology · Medical emergency · Multivariate analysis of variance · Perception · Poison control · Suicide prevention · Clinical Psychology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

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  Open Access•John L Mcintosh•OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying•1996

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• A Meta-Analytic Review of Family Structure Stereotypes

  Lawrence H Ganong, Marilyn Coleman et al.•Journal of Marriage and the Family•1990

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  Open Access•Katharine G Wagner, Lawrence G Calhoun•OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying•1992

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  Open Access•Margaret Shandor Miles, Alice Sterner Demi•OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying•1992

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• Attitudes toward Suicide Survivors as a Function of Survivors' Relationship to the Victim

  Open Access•Francoise M T Reynolds, Peter Cimbolic•OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying•1989

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  Open Access•Lawrence G Calhoun, Carol B Abernathy et al.•Journal of Community Psychology•1986

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• Public reactions to child suicide

  Open Access•Lillian M Range, Pamela S Bright et al.•Journal of Community Psychology•1985

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• Perceptions of Stepparents

  Mark A Fine•Journal of Marriage and the Family•1986

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• Current Trends in Marriage and Divorce among American Women

  Arthur J Norton, Jeanne E Moorman•Journal of Marriage and the Family•1987

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• Recent Changes in Divorce and Remarriage

  Paul C Glick, Sung-Ling Lin•Journal of Marriage and the Family•1986

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• Person Perception

  Linda R Bryan, Marilyn Coleman et al.•Journal of Marriage and the Family•1986

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• A Study of Perceptions of the Stepparent Role

  Open Access•Andrew I Schwebel, Mark A Fine et al.•Journal of Family Issues•1991

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