title: I Can Stomach That! Fearlessness About Death Predicts Attenuated Facial Electromyography Activity in Response to Death-Related Images.
abstract: Objective measures of suicide risk can convey life-saving information to clinicians, but few such measures exist. This study examined an objective measure of fearlessness about death (FAD), testing whether FAD relates to self-reported and physiological aversion to death. Females (n = 87) reported FAD and disgust sensitivity, and facial electromyography was used to measure physiological facial responses consistent with disgust while viewing death-related images. FAD predicted attenuated expression of physiological death aversion, even when controlling for self-reported death-related disgust sensitivity. Diminished physiological aversion to death-related stimuli holds promise as an objective measure of FAD and suicide risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Velkoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Forrest
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Dorian R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Dodd
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA.
authors.forename: April R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003643:Death; D004576:Electromyography; D004644:Emotions; D005145:Face / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D057566:Self Report; D055815:Young Adult