The effect of the content of suicide notes on grief reactions

The present study focused on emotional reactions of suicide survivor-victims to the content of suicide notes. Using an analogue methodology, married subjects (N = 48) recorded their emotional responses to four types of simulated suicide notes (other-blaming, incongruent, self-blaming, and neutral) presumed left for them by their mates. There were significant differences in reported distress dependent upon type of note. Blame and guilt were found to play primary roles in the grief reactions of the survivor-victims.