Extenuating Circumstances in Perceptions of Suicide: Disease Diagnosis (Aids, Cancer), Pain Level, and Life Expectancy

Abstract

If a person is terminally ill, people are more tolerant of the suicide. To see if illness type, pain level, and life expectancy affected reactions toward a terminal illness suicide, 160 undergraduates completed community support, social interaction, and suicide scales about Pat, who had either AIDS or cancer, a lot or a little pain, and six months or two years to live. A 2 (Diagnosis) × 2 (Pain Level) × 2 (Life Expectancy) MANOVA yielded significant main effects for diagnosis and pain level, a trend for life expectancy, and no interactions. Follow-up ANOVAs indicated more social stigma associated with AIDS and a lot of pain, but less social stigma associated with AIDS and a lot of pain suicides. Increased education about AIDS may help alleviate the social stigma associated with the disease and diminish tolerance towards AIDS-related suicides.