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Attitudes and beliefs about suicidal behavior when coming out is the precipitant of the suicidal behavior

Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, Nov, 2003 by Jennifer Ellen Cato, Silvia Sara Canetto

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As noted above, the decision to engage in suicidal behavior following coming out was perceived as unsound and weak. One interpretation is that the decision to engage in a suicidal act following coming out may not be as condoned as a suicidal decision following a physical illness. This could mean that the high rates of nonfatal suicidal behavior among LGB youth are not be related to a greater social acceptance of such behavior in LGB youth. It is important to note that a majority of respondents (97%) in this study were heterosexual. Because of the small number of LGB respondents in our sample, we did not separately examine the beliefs of LGB participants and compare them to those of heterosexual participants. Therefore, we do not really know if LGB individuals consider a suicidal decision following coming out as weak and unsound, as did the heterosexual respondents. This is a question for future research.

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In this study, evaluations of the decision to engage in suicidal behavior did not vary depending on the sex of the suicidal person. The suicidal decision was rated as weak, unsound, and relatively passive in both women and men. Because "attempting" suicide is viewed as youthful, feminine behavior, our findings suggest a double bind for women, who may be both expected to engage and condemned for engaging in what is considered as "unsuccessful" suicidal behavior (Canetto, 1997a). Our target-sex findings are consistent with those of one previous study of attitudes toward nonfatal suicidal behavior (Dahlen & Canetto, 2002), but they are at variance with the findings of other studies (Stillion et al., 1989; White & Stillion, 1988). The reasons for the discrepancies across studies are likely due to differences in methodology. In the studies that reported an effect of target sex (e.g., White & Stillion, 1988), respondents were shown vignettes that varied by target sex as well as by other characteristics, and they were not specifically asked to focus on the suicidal decision. In the study that did not find an effect for target sex (Dahlen & Canetto, 2002), the respondents were given single-sex vignettes, and they completed measures that focused explicitly on the suicidal decision. Clearly, the use of a mixture of vignettes featuring suicidal women and men highlights target sex as a variable and brings out target-sex effects. Also, a focus on the suicidal person rather than on the suicidal decision seems to elicit more gendered evaluations of the suicidal behavior.

As expected, based on past studies, men perceived the decision to engage in suicidal behavior as less unsound than did women. This is consistent with findings from related research, which has shown that men are more likely than women to agree with and accept suicidal decisions (Dahlen & Canetto, 2002) and to think that suicidal behavior can be justified and rational (Miller, 1994, cited in Stillion & Stillion, 1998-1999). Men also tend to view the decision to suicide as an individual right (Marks, 1988-1989; Wellman & Wellman, 1986). In addition, in the present study, both women and men rated the suicidal decision as low in power. Similarly, an early study of college students showed that attempting suicide is considered weak behavior (Linehan, 1973). In Linehan's study, "attempted" suicide was also viewed as more feminine than death by suicide. Furthermore, in the present study, women and men were similar in their judgment of the suicidal decision's activity-passivity (their scores being in the middle range of the continuum).

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Attitudes and beliefs about suicidal behavior when coming out is the precipitant of the suicidal behavior

Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, Nov, 2003 by Jennifer Ellen Cato, Silvia Sara Canetto

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