title: Interpersonal reactions to suicide attempt: the role of respondent causal attributions.
abstract: Interpersonal responses to a depressed person with or without a suicide attempt were examined. It was hypothesized that the depressed person who attempted suicide would receive higher negative attributions and interpersonal rejection, and that attributions would mediate the relationship between exposure to a depressed person and rejection. Contrary to hypotheses, respondents were more willing to interact with, held higher esteem for, and endorsed lower negative attributions for the depressed person who attempted suicide. Mediation hypotheses were supported. Findings suggest that a suicide attempt may promote less negative attributions toward depressed individuals, which in turn dampen negative interpersonal reactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5022, USA. apaukert@uh.edu
authors.forename: Amber L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Paukert
authors.forename: Jeremy W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Pettit
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003866:Depressive Disorder; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012059:Rejection, Psychology; D015206:Southwestern United States; D013406:Suicide, Attempted