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Background: Historically, people who die by suicide and those who survive them have been perceived more negatively than those affected by other types of death (e.g., Reynolds & Cimbolic, 1988 ). Yet, it is unclear whether these negative perceptions actually lead to decreased social and emotional support for people bereaved by suicide. Aims: To examine whether specifying suicide as the cause of death in an obituary impacts perceptions of a decedent and willingness to provide support to the decedent's family. Method: A group of 253 participants were randomly assigned to read one of three fictional obituaries that were identical except for the stated cause of death (suicide, cancer, or drug overdose). Participants responded to questions about the decedent and behaviors toward the family. Results: Consistent with our prediction, people depicted as dying by suicide were viewed more negatively than decedents depicted as dying due to cancer. Contrary to our prediction, participants endorsed similar levels of willingness to provide support to the bereaved family regardless of the type of death specified in the obituary. Conclusions: The findings suggest that, even though those who die by suicide are viewed more negatively, their survivors may receive support that is similar to people bereaved by other types of death.

Background: Natural disasters are frequently associated with increases in risk factors for suicide, yet research indicates that suicide rates tend to stay the same or decrease in the wake of disasters (e.g., Krug et al., 1999 ). Aims: The present research sought to shed light on this counterintuitive phenomenon by testing hypotheses derived from Joiner's (2005 ) interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior, which proposes that the desire to die by suicide is the result of feeling like one does not belong and feeling like one is a burden on others. During natural disasters, community members often pull together in volunteering efforts, and it was predicted that such behaviors would boost feelings of belonging and reduce feelings that one is a burden. Methods: The present study tested these predictions in a sample of 210 undergraduate students in Fargo, North Dakota, following the 2009 Red River Flood. Results: Consistent with prediction, greater amounts of time spent volunteering in flood efforts were associated with increased feelings of belongingness and decreased feelings of burdensomeness. Conclusions: The findings in the current study are consistent with the notion that communities pulling together during a natural disaster can reduce interpersonal risk factors associated with the desire for suicide.

AbstractTheory and research indicate that experiences of sexual and gender minority (SGM) stress among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, plus (LGBTQ+) individuals are related to a variety of negative health outcomes. Because positive romantic relationships promote better physical and mental health outcomes, understanding factors that contribute positively or negatively to relationship functioning is necessary to improve relationships and promote physical and mental health. As such, the primary goals of the present study were to conduct a meta‐analysis on the association between SGM stress and (1) relationship functioning and (2) substance use, a well‐established predictor of relationship functioning. We used multivariate meta‐analysis with robust variance estimation to summarize the effects. Across 304 effects from 73 studies, we found a significant negative association between SGM stress and relationship functioning, r = −.13, 95% CI [−0.16, −0.10]. We also found significant positive associations between SGM stress and alcohol use r = .08, 95% CI [0.06, 0.11], and drug use r = .09, 95% CI [0.05, 0.13]. These small, but significant, relations are interpreted to indicate that SGM stress could erode relationship functioning and, in turn, weaken its potential protective effects against negative health outcomes, although longitudinal studies are needed.