COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL RESPONSES TO SUICIDE PROTRAYALS IN MOVIES: EVALUATION AND EXTENSION OF THE MODELING HYPOTHESIS

2. Over the past thirty years, there has been a
steady increase in explicit depictions of suicidal
behaviours in fictional movies;
Concerns have been raised that such depictions
may foster suicidal modeling behaviours in
viewers, often called the “Werther Effect”

3. The Werther Effect is most often explained as:
An imitation process where identification with the
suicidal protagonist is a prerequisite for imitation
to occur.
• Identification with the suicidal protagonist is more likely
if the protagonist’s socio-demographic characteristics
coincide with those of the viewer.

4. To test experimentally important tenets of the
modeling hypothesis, the most common
explanation of the association between media
presentations of suicide and increases in suicide
rates ( the “Werther Effect”)

5. Participants would:
Have better memory of suicide portrayals
involving a protagonist matching their gender;
Identify more strongly with suicidal protagonists
matching their gender;
Report stronger emotional arousal from suicide
portrayals involving a protagonist matching
their gender;

6. Under the assumption that identification is an
important prerequisite for learning of suicidal
behaviour to occur:
There will be a significant correlation between
identification and memory of the suicidal portrayal;
Under the assumption that audience members
presenting suicidal propensities are more vulnerable to
the Werther’s effect:
There will be significant correlation between level of
suicidal propensities and 1) memory, 2)
identification and 3) emotional arousal.

7. Latin Square design for both studies;
Study I:
51 participants exposed to 6 film excerpts depicting a
completed suicide by or protagonist.
Suicidal protagonist’s age was the same across
excepts (young adult: 18 – 30 years of age).
Same method of suicide (wrist cutting) in excepts,
but triggering event varied.

8. Study II:
58 participants exposed to 4 film excerpts depicting
a completed suicide by or  protagonist.
Suicidal protagonist’s age was the same across
excepts (young adult: 18 – 30 years of age).
Method of suicide was varied across excepts while
the triggering event was constant (relationship break
up).
Measurements in Study I and II:
Memory /Emotional arousal/Identification / Suicidal
tendencies/ and other Psychological vulnerability
factors known to be related to suicidal behaviors.

9. • Hypothesis not supported: Wilks λ F (10, 428) =
1.07, p = .38, 2 = 0.024.
• Hypothesis not supported: Wilks λ F (4.05,
174.07) = 2.30, p = 0.06, 2 = 0.024.

10. • (Note: There was a significant between subject
main effect for Gender on identification : F (1, 43)
= 4.60, p = .04, 2 = 0.097 . >)
• Hypothesis not supported: Wilks λ F (3.80,
144.42) = .35, p = 0.83, 2 = 0.009.

11. Identification & Memory : r = -0.41, p = .003
Identification & Arousal: r = -0.18, p = .22
Identification & Suicidal Ideation: r = -0.19, p = 0.19
Identification & Memory : r = 0.23, p = .10
Identification & Arousal: r = 0.15, p = .29
Identification & Suicidal Ideation: r = -0.15, p = 0.20

12. Identification & Memory : r = -0.22, p = .12
Identification & Arousal: r = -0.26, p = .07
Identification & Suicidal Ideation: r = -0.03, p = 0.82
Identification & Memory : r = -0.03, p = .86
Identification & Arousal: r = -0.12, p = .41
Identification & Suicidal Ideation: r = -0.06, p = 0.66

13. Identification & Memory : r = 0.19, p = .19
Identification & Arousal: r = -0.44, p = .001
Identification & Suicidal Ideation: r = 0.07, p = 0.60
Identification & Memory : r = 0.09, p = 0.51
Identification & Arousal: r = -0.14, p = .33
Identification & Suicidal Ideation: r = -0.07, p = 0.65
Thought suppression & Memory: r = 0.32, p = .02

14. • Hypothesis not supported: Wilks λ F (2.569,
397.09) = 1.31 p = .27, 2 = 0.027.
• Hypothesis : Wilks λ F (2.648, 1353.163)
= 5.54, p = 0.002, 2 = 0.10.

15. • Hypothesis not supported: Wilks λ F (2.842,
142.103) = .92, p = 0.43, 2 = 0.018.

16. Identification & Memory : r = 0.13, p = 0.34
Identification & Arousal: r = -0.06, p = .68
Identification & Suicidal Ideation: r = 0.06, p = 0.67
Dissociation & Identification: r = 0.26, p = .05
Identification & Memory : r = 0.08, p = 0.55
Identification & Arousal: r = 0.29, p = .03
Identification & Suicidal Ideation: r = 0.35, p = 0.006

17. Identification & Memory : r = 0.05, p = .71
Identification & Arousal: r = 0.22, p = .10
Identification & Suicidal Ideation: r = 0.24, p = 0.08
Emotion regulation & Identification: r = 0.24, p = .08
Thought suppression & Identification: r = 0.23, p = .08
Identification & Memory : r = -0.02, p = 0.90
Identification & Arousal: r = 0.15, p = .26
Identification & Suicidal Ideation: r = 0.007, p = 0.96
Dissociation & Identification: r = 0.22, p = .10

18. No evidence that gender similitude was a
significant factor accounting for memory
and emotional response toward the
suicide portrayals.
Study 1 -non significant Gender X Film
except interaction on identification, the
reverse was true in Study 2, and accounts
for 10% of the variance.

19. For the 8 suicide portrayals, no significant association
between identification and memory.
For 7 of the 8 suicide portrayals, no significant
association between identification and emotional
arousal.
In 7 of the suicide portrayals, no significant association
between level of suicidal ideation and identification.
Preliminary results suggest that emotion regulation may
be an important and more proximal factor in the Werther
effect than are either identification or and suicidal
tendencies.

20. No support for the imitation hypothesis.
Results suggest that other psychological
processes may underlie the Werther Effect.
Gender similitude is a non necessary nor
sufficient condition for identification to occur.
Triggering event and method used may play an
important role in the Werther Effect.