The Suicidal Death of a Child: Social Perception of Stepparents

Abstract

Research has suggested that the family relationship of a survivor to the victim of suicide can affect how the survivor will be perceived, but no studies have investigated the impact of parental status (parent versus stepparent) on the perception others will have of the parents of a youngster who commits suicide. In this investigation, 210 participants (71 men and 139 women) read typeset obituaries describing the suicidal death of an 18-year-old young man or young woman. Survivors were described as mother and father, father and stepmother, or mother and stepfather. Ratings (derived from previous studies of the social perception of survivors) were obtained to reflect the impressions participants had of the stepparents. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated a main effect for status of parents (i.e., stepparents versus biological parents). Although there were no reliable differences on several items, stepparents were viewed as having been less “close” to the young person, as taking less time to “recover psychologically” from the loss, and stepmothers were rated as less “likable.” These findings suggest that even in situations (i.e., the suicidal death of a child) where social perceptions are likely to be more negative toward any bereaved parent, stepparents may face an additional burden of negative social perception.