Media Influence on Attitudes Toward Suicide

This experiment investigated the effects of viewing films on suicide and violence on attitudes toward suicide. Non-suicidal university students were assigned to one of three groups: One group was shown a film about suicide, a second saw a film about violence, and the third saw a neutral film. Perceptions of the appropriateness of suicide and level of emotional arousal were measured by a questionnaire administered before and after the films were shown. Both the suicide and violent film groups showed increases in arousal scores after viewing the films. The results suggest that arousal became linked to cognitions specific to film content as a result of viewing the films dealing with suicide and violence. Other findings suggest that, for the suicide and violent film groups, perceived relations with parents were important predictors of film-induced changes in attitudes toward suicide.