How people react to suicidal ideation: The effect of suicide literacy, suicide stigma, and expressive suppression

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to understand the role of suicide literacy and suicide stigma in laypeople's intention to recommend professional help in Korea. Additionally, the study focuses on the role of expressive suppression as a sociocultural factor.

Methods

Participants read vignettes depicting either subclinical distress or suicidal ideation and answered questions measuring suicide literacy, stigma, and expressive suppression. Mediated moderation analyses were used to examine the interactions between these factors.

Results

The result found the significant effect of expressive suppression. The mediating effect of suicide stigma on the relationship between suicide literacy and recommendation of professional help was significant for those who do not suppress their emotions. This result indicates that when individuals were not hesitant to express negative emotions, high suicide literacy lowered suicide stigma and led to more willingness to recommend professional help.

Conclusions

The results showed that expressive suppression acts as a barrier deterring Koreans from professional help for their mental health. The findings underscore the importance of sociocultural factors such as expressive suppression in developing suicide prevention strategies.