Suicide Prevention Public Service Announcements
Recall Biases Associated With Increased Risk for Suicide
Abstract
Abstract.Background: Suicide prevention public service announcements (PSAs) help to disseminate information about suicide and help-seeking options. However, little is known about how individuals at risk for suicide recall PSAs. Aims: The current project assessed which features of suicide prevention PSAs are recalled by young adult participants and whether there are differences between those who are at low or high risk for suicide. Method: Participants (N = 140) viewed a simulated suicide prevention billboard that consisted of a main message, help-seeking message, and graphical features. Participants provided written recollections of the billboard features approximately 15 min post-viewing, which were coded and analyzed. Results: High-risk participants were significantly less likely than low-risk participants to include a description of the help-seeking message in their written recall. Few group differences were noted in the recall of the main message or graphical features. Limitations: Recall was limited to short-term recall based on a single exposure. Efforts to enhance internal validity (e.g., measurement of suicide risk) and external validity (e.g., a balanced sample regarding sex and race) are recommended. Conclusions: Results suggest that new tactics may need to be considered when developing suicide prevention messages, including crafting help-seeking messages that are more easily committed to memory for target audiences.
References
2016). Effects of suicide awareness material on implicit suicide cognition: A laboratory experiment. Health Communication, 31(6), 718–726. 10.1080/10410236.2014.993495
(2008). Autobiographical memory, interpersonal problem solving, and suicidal behavior in adolescent inpatients. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 49(1), 22–29. 10.1016/j.comppsych.2007.07.004
(2015). Self-referential processing in depressed adolescents: A high-density event-related potential study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 124(2), 233. 10.1037/abn0000023
(2012). Neuropsychological performance in a sample of 13–25-year-olds with a history of non-psychotic major depressive disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 141(2–3), 441–448. 10.1016/j.jad.2012.02.041
(1980). Memory deficits in depression: Evidence utilizing the Wechsler Memory Scale. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 51(2), 541–542. 10.2466/pms.1980.51.2.541
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . (2016). Leading causes of death by age group united states. https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/LeadingCauses.html2005). The science of public messages for suicide prevention: A workshop summary. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 35(2), 134–145. 10.1521/suli.35.2.134.62871
(2019). Diagnosing depression in primary care: A Rasch analysis of the major depression inventory. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, 37(1), 105–112. 10.1080/02813432.2019.1568703
(2003). Crafting normative messages to protect the environment. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(4), 105–109. 10.1111%2F1467-8721.01242
(1998). Reality negotiation in non-depressed and depressed persons. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 37(4), 381–383. 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1998.tb01395.x
(2019). Death rates due to suicide and homicide among persons aged 10–24: United States, 2000–2017 (NCHS Data Brief No. 352). National Center for Health Statistics.
(2006). Reaching suicidal people with media campaigns. Crisis, 27(4), 172–180. 10.1027/0227-5910.27.4.172
(2017). Understanding help-seeking behavior in depression: A qualitative synthesis of patients' experiences. Qualitative Health Research, 27(1), 100–113. 10.1177/1049732316681282
(2017). Risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors: A meta-analysis of 50 years of research. Psychological Bulletin, 143(2), 187. 10.1037/bul0000084
(2003). Media contagion and suicide among the young. American Behavioral Scientist, 46(9), 1269–1284. 10.1177/0002764202250670
(2004). Teenagers' attitudes about coping strategies and help-seeking behavior for suicidality. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 43(9), 1124–1133. 10.1097/01.chi.0000132811.06547.31
(2010). Awareness effects of a youth suicide prevention media campaign in Louisiana. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 40(4), 394–406. 10.1521/suli.2010.40.4.394
(2010). Cognitive inhibition and emotion regulation in depression. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(3), 161–166.
(2008).
(Memory and emotion . In M. LewisJ. M. Haviland-JonesL. Feldman Barrett, Handbook of emotions (pp. 601–617). The Guildford Press.2013). The impact of universal suicide-prevention programs on the help-seeking attitudes and behaviors of youths. Crisis, 34(2), 82–97. 10.1027/0227-5910/a000178
(2010). Suicide prevention public service announcements: Perceptions of young adults. Crisis, 31(5), 247–254. 10.1027/0227-5910/a000032
(2016). Suicide prevention public service announcements impact help-seeking attitudes: The message makes a difference. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 7, 124. 10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00124
(2003). The Patient Health Questionnaire-2: Validity of a two-item depression screener. Medical Care, 41(11), 1284–1292. 10.1097/01.MLR.0000093487.78664.3C
(2013). Persuading people with depression to seek help: Respect the boomerang. Health Communication, 28(7), 718–728. 10.1080/10410236.2012.712091
(2019). What's the risk in seeking help for depression? Assessing the nature and pleasantness of outcome perceptions among individuals with depressive symptomatology. Health Education & Behavior, 46(3), 463–470. 10.1177/1090198118811898
(2005). Cognitive vulnerability to emotional disorders. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1(1), 167–195. 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.1.102803.143916
(2008). Neuropsychological functioning in depressed adolescent girls. Journal of Affective Disorders, 111(1), 113–118. 10.1016/j.jad.2008.02.003
(2013). Self-referential processing, rumination, and cortical midline structures in major depression. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 666. 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00666
(2014). Increasing help-seeking and referrals for individuals at risk for suicide by decreasing stigma. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(3), S235–S243. 10.1016/j.amepre.2014.06.010
(2007). Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors interview: Development, reliability, and validity in an adolescent sample. Psychological Assessment, 19(3), 309. 10.1037/1040-3590.19.3.309
(2006). Self-referential processing in our brain – a meta-analysis of imaging studies on the self. NeuroImage, 31(1), 440–457. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.12.002
(2019). Suicide prevention media campaigns: A systematic literature review. Health Communication, 34(4), 402–414. 10.1080/10410236.2017.1405484
(2003). Understanding the influence of perceived norms on behaviors. Communication Theory, 13(2), 184–203. 10.1111/j.1468-2885.2003.tb00288.x
(2018). A comparative study of suicide rates among 10–19-year-olds in 29 OECD countries. Psychiatry Investigation, 15(4), 376–383. 10.30773/pi.2017.08.02
(2005). Suicide in the media: A quantitative review of studies based on nonfictional stories. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 35(2), 121–133. 10.1521/suli.35.2.121.62877
(2010). Memory specificity as a risk factor for suicidality in non-affective psychosis: The ability to recall specific autobiographical memories is related to greater suicidality. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48(10), 1047–1052. 10.1016/j.brat.2010.06.001
(2013). Personal suicidality in reception and identification with suicidal film characters. Death Studies, 37(4), 383–392. 10.1080/07481187.2012.673531
(2017). A systematic review of mass media campaigns for suicide prevention: Understanding their efficacy and the mechanisms needed for successful behavioral and literacy change. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 47(6), 672–687. 10.1111/sltb.12324
(