Death as a Way Out: How Subjective Social Class Shapes Death Attitudes and Suicidal Ideation

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Sociology
• Psychology

Background:

• Social class significantly impacts life outcomes.
• However, its influence on death attitudes remains under-researched.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between subjective social class and death attitudes.
• To explore if death attitudes mediate the link between social class and suicidal ideation.

Main Methods:

• Three studies were conducted to examine subjective social class, death attitudes (escape acceptance, neutral acceptance, approach acceptance, fear of death, death avoidance), and suicidal ideation.
• Statistical analyses adjusted for covariates like depressive symptoms and stressful life events.

Main Results:

• Lower subjective social class was consistently associated with greater escape acceptance.
• No consistent associations were found between social class and other death attitudes.
• Escape acceptance mediated the indirect relationship between lower social class and increased suicidal ideation.

Conclusions:

• Subjective social class is associated with distinct ways of construing death, specifically viewing it as an escape.
• This perception of death may be a pathway through which social class influences suicidal ideation.