The impact of relationship type and closeness on mental health following suicide loss

Background Most research investigating the effect of suicide on loss survivors has been limited to first-degree family members. Few studies examine the impact of suicide on others outside the immediate family and the influence of relationship type and closeness on mental health. Methods This study used data from a sample obtained through random digit dialing […]

General practitioner consultations for mental health reasons prior to and following bereavement by suicide

Purpose Prior research has shown that the majority of those bereaved by suicide express a need for mental health care services. However, there is a lack of knowledge about these individuals’ use of primary health care. The objective of our study was to estimate the association between suicide bereavement and general practitioner (GP) consultations for […]

Unveiling studies on self-healing practices for suicide loss survivors: A scoping review

This scoping review aimed to examine how self-healing practices had been addressed in the empirical literature on suicide bereavement. Adhering to PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched five databases for peer-reviewed studies that reported using self-healing practices, either as a primary or secondary finding and 32 studies were included. The results highlight a substantial research gap in […]

Evaluation of a new online program for children bereaved by suicide: The view of children, parents, and facilitators

Objective: Experiencing the suicide of a parent or a sibling is one of the most disruptive and stressful events in the life of a child or adolescent. Yet, little is known about the effectiveness of support offered to children and adolescents bereaved by suicide. This study aimed to evaluate participant and facilitator’s perceived helpfulness of the […]

Support in bereavement processes in cases of suicide or substance-related death in childhood: A systematic review

Exposure to parental suicide or substance-related death can be a risk factor for unwanted developmental trajectories. The stigma and taboo that often follow a death subject to being morally sanctioned in society (‘special deaths’) pose an extra challenge for the surviving child and family. The support of informal and formal networks is an important factor […]

Helping survivors in the aftermath of suicide loss

This article summarizes what is currently known about the general experience of suicide bereavement and optimal interventions in treatment.

Engagement in meaningful activities post suicide loss: A scoping review protocol

Rationale Each day, more than 10 Canadians die by suicide. Each suicide leaves entire communities to manage the traumatic aftermath of this loss. Individuals bereaved by suicide loss are at a higher risk of experiencing negative mental health outcomes. Current research suggests that engagement in meaningful activities may be an avenue to protecting mental health. […]

Suicide bereavement and postvention approaches for young people in Scotland (IN The Routledge International Handbook of Child and Adolescent Grief in Contemporary Contexts, edited by C. Traher and L.J. Breen)

Suicide is a leading cause of death globally, and each suicide can have a profound impact on those grieving the loss, including young people. Suicide loss is a risk factor for adverse health and social outcomes including complicated grief and subsequent suicides. Young people coping with such a death may face additional complexities in their […]

Postvention is prevention: The case for suicide postvention

There is now convincing empirical evidence that exposure to suicide increases the risk of subsequent suicide, as well as other negative mental health sequelae, in those who have been exposed. This article provides a review of this empirical evidence. It also concludes that this substantial evidence base makes the compelling case that all suicide prevention […]

Social reactions after disclosing suicide loss among women: A qualitative study

Background: Suicide loss is often concealed. While initial evidence suggests that disclosure is important for healthy grieving, observed beneficial effects may depend on social reactions. Aim: The current study aimed to identify social reactions and associated consequences experienced by persons who lost a loved one to suicide (i.e., suicide loss survivors). Method: We conducted qualitative interviews with 22 female adult […]

Heartbeat recordings in music therapy bereavement care following suicide: Action research single case study of amplified cardiopulmonary recordings for continuity of care

Bereavement services incorporating family-centered practices are emerging within hospital-based care but are often time-limited and lack personalization. This action research single case study explored one father’s experience of music therapy using amplified cardiopulmonary recordings (ACPR) during bereavement following his son’s death by suicide, to critique current norms and inspire transformative change in systems of care. […]

Qualitative inquiry into the experience of suicide loss, aftereffects and coping strategies of suicide- bereaved Greek-speaking parents in Cyprus

Purpose Studies on suicide-bereaved parents are scarce in South European and Eastern Mediterranean countries. We explored the experiences of Greek-speaking suicide-bereaved parents in Cyprus, with emphasis on the interpretations of their child’s suicide, its aftereffects and their coping strategies. Methods A qualitative methodology based on inductive content analysis of the interviews of ten mothers and […]

Association of sexual orientation with exposure to suicide and related emotional distress among US adults

Objective: Suicide bereavement is a significant public health concern. Using nationally representative survey data, we quantify sexual orientation differences in frequency of suicide exposure and suicide exposure-related emotional distress among US adults. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from the 2016 General Social Survey (GSS) and included sexual minority (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual; (n = 74, 5.3%) and heterosexual […]

After a suicide death in a high school: Exploring students’ perspectives

By the time they leave high school, 17% of adolescents will have experienced the suicide death of a friend, peer, or classmate. While some will be unaffected or experience a brief period of distress following the death, for others the death will cause significant disruption and distress, even increasing their risk of suicidal thoughts and […]

Support after suicide: A thematic analysis of siblings’ experience

Suicide is a worldwide phenomenon resulting in the deaths of more than 700,000 people each year. For every suicide, there are those left behind. The research on sibling’s experiences of grief and the support they require after the loss of their sibling is limited. This study explored the experiences of grief and the support siblings […]

The suicide support group as a signifying agent and emotion transformer: A contribution from a micro-sociological perspective

We examined social mechanisms of suicide support groups based on evidence from an Italian postvention program. Our data comprise field notes from 47 meetings of a peer group and interviews with 20 suicide survivors. Group meetings unfolded as interaction rituals with elements including the survivors’ focus on their trauma, their common emotions, and their perception […]

Exploring the phenomenon of intrusive mental imagery after suicide bereavement: A qualitative interview study in a British sample

Introduction Each year an estimated 48 million people are bereaved by suicide internationally. Following traumatic events, experiencing intrusive mental imagery relating to the trauma is not uncommon. This phenomenological study aimed to explore the nature, experience and impact of intrusive mental imagery after suicide bereavement. Methods Semi-structured interview transcripts with 18 adults bereaved by the […]

When a child dies by suicide: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study

Suicide is a global concern for the well-being of families. When parents experience their child’s death by suicide, their well-being can be substantially impaired. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of parents whose children died by suicide. Data were collected from 25 mothers through interviews between 2019 and 2021 and analyzed using interpretive […]

A loss by suicide: The relationship between meaning-making, post-traumatic growth, and complicated grief

Meaning making has been found useful in processing grief, yet individuals who have experienced a loss by suicide may have difficulty with post-loss adjustment due to the traumatic nature of their loss. Through quantitative study, this article acts as an initial exploratory study and examines the relationship between meaning-making, post-traumatic growth, and complicated grief symptoms […]

At arm’s length: A qualitative study of suicide prevention barriers among those experience with suicide loss

Background: Little attention has been paid to the experiences of families and carers supporting and accessing support for individuals in the period preceding and following their death by suicide. For many families and carers who have experienced loss and been subjected to a series of unhelpful or harmful encounters with health and emergency services, there […]

Suicide bereavement and loneliness among UK Armed Forces veterans under the care of mental health services: Prevalence and associations

Suicide bereavement is a risk factor for suicide and psychiatric illness. Its lifetime prevalence in the general population is estimated at 22%, and in one (US) veteran sample as 47%, but no estimates exist for a UK veteran sample. We aimed to measure the lifetime prevalence of suicide bereavement in a clinical sample of UK […]

Feelings of blameworthiness and their associations with the grieving process in suicide mourning

Aims: This study focuses on identifying the correlates associated with the emergence of feelings of blameworthiness associated with a suicide or other traumatic death and its associations with grief complications. Methods: Based on a mailed questionnaire survey of 575 mostly white and economically advantaged bereaved parents, 462 who lost a child to suicide, 48 to a drug […]

A longitudinal study of the impact of a suicide bereavement service on people bereaved by suicide

Whilst the body of research on the impacts of suicide bereavement interventions continues to grow, there is little understanding of the impact over time. This study measured changes in suicidality, levels of loneliness and grief reactions over time between those receiving support from a community-based suicide bereavement service (StandBy) compared with those that did not […]