Social Reactions to Attempted Suicide: the Effects of Gender and Physical Attractiveness

148 undergraduates read a brief case history describing an individual who attempted suicide 1 week ago. Two-thirds of the subjects also received a photograph. Subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 groups. Ratings of justification, emotinal adjustment & liking were measured. Significant main effects of gender of subject & physical attractiveness were found. Females rated attempters significantly more justified than males & that attractive attempters were liked significantly more. (50 refs.)