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Dangerous Words? An Experimental Investigation of the Impact of Detailed Reporting About Suicide on Subsequent Risk
Author(s) -
Anestis Michael D.,
Bryan Craig J.,
May Alexis M.,
Law Keyne C.,
Hagan Christopher R.,
Bryan AnnaBelle O.,
Chu Carol,
Michaels Matthew S.,
Selby Edward A.,
Klonsky E. David,
Joiner Thomas E.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22199
Subject(s) - psychology , suicidal ideation , suicide prevention , mood , guideline , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , injury prevention , clinical psychology , reading (process) , occupational safety and health , psychiatry , medicine , medical emergency , pathology , political science , law
Objective Media reporting guidelines exist for suicide‐related content; however, no experimental studies have examined the impact of guideline violations. As such, we utilized an experimental design to determine whether reading an article about suicide that violated guidelines would impact mood and suicidality relative to the same article without violations and to an article detailing death by cancer, both immediately and during 1‐month follow‐up. Method 273 students were randomly assigned to read one of three articles (1) an article that violated suicide reporting guidelines, (2) the same article with violations removed, or (3) an article that details death by cancer. Results Individuals assigned to read the original suicide article were no more upset immediately afterwards or during 1‐month follow‐up. Amongst participants with prior ideation, those who read the original article reported a lower likelihood of future attempt relative to either other condition. Conclusion Results indicate some reporting guidelines may be unnecessary. Amongst individuals at risk for suicide, some guideline violations may be associated with a decreased likelihood of future attempt and result in a decrease in negative affect. Clinically, these results highlight the potential utility of exposing clients to in depth educational materials about suicide while mitigating concerns regarding certain aspects of the content.