Resource Tag: SURVIVORS

Background: Suicides are an actual issue, especially in Lithuania, where, despite significant efforts, the number of suicides remains very high. In cases of suicide, society painfully loses its members, and the relatives of the person  who committed suicide, engaged in self-harm, or attempted suicide face many negative experiences. Methods: The purpose of this article is […]

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 […]

Introduction Suicide loss survivors can provide information not otherwise available about the circumstances preceding a suicide. In this study, we analyzed interview data from suicide loss survivors collected as part of a psychological autopsy study of U.S. Army soldiers. Methods Next-of-kin (NOK) (n = 61) and Army supervisors (SUP) (n = 107) of suicide decedents (n = 135) who had died […]

There is no right or wrong way to seek help. This toolkit is not designed to be an exhaustive list of the very wide variety of resources available across Canada for support. This toolkit is a summary of the tools that have  resonated most with the hundreds of people who completed our online survey and […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

Background: People who lost a loved one to suicide (i.e., suicide loss survivors, SLS) often struggle to talk about their experiences. However, previous studies suggest beneficial effects of disclosure among this group. Aims: This study aimed to identify determinants of disclosing suicide loss. Method: We conducted qualitative interviews with 22 female SLS focusing on determinants of disclosing suicide loss. Interviews […]

In Not Okay? Okay. combat veteran and suicide survivor Sheridan Taylor chronicles the anguish and rage he experienced in the darkest depths of despair, and he shares the process and triumph of fighting his way out. After a lifetime enduring pain and discovering love, Sheridan shares his unique perspective on the power of hope and how to heal the […]

There is a collective call from the field of suicide research for studies on the individual dynamics of suicidality in order to understand the deadliness of the suicidal process. This study examines the deceased next of kin’s (‘survivor’s) experience of the suicidal process in order to gain perspectives that can be used in the preventive […]

Despite the increase in research on suicide bereavement, the effectiveness of peer-support group programs in promoting the grief process and mental health of suicide loss survivors remains unclear. The goal of our study was to determine the effectiveness of peer-support group programs for suicide loss survivors. A systematic review (PROSPERO ID: CRD42022307591) of articles published […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

This report is drawn from the analysis of two datasets; 1) University of New England, Lived Experience of Suicide Study (2019-2020) and 2) a collaborative project between the University of New England and SANE Australia – the Better Support project (2017-2020). Each dataset is analysed through the lens of seeking to understand the carer experience, […]

Self-help support groups are groups made up of people who are directly and personally affected by a particular issue, condition or concern. They are run by their members, which means that those directly affected by the  issue are the ones who control the activities and the priorities of their group. While many self help groups […]

This document outlines best practices for suicide loss and suicide attempt survivors who are considering sharing their story with the public. The best practices were created by a group of experts in the suicide prevention community and include information on: assessing readiness to speak; considering family reactions and potential social ramifications; resources for safe messaging; […]

This booklet is for facilitators of suicide loss support groups. Hopefully it will be of value to both new and experienced facilitators, but it cannot address every situation that you may encounter. It is best used in a training where discussion can clarify and expand upon the material given herein. It draws on the experience […]

Support groups for suicide loss survivors are a relatively common resource used by those who are left to cope in the aftermath of a suicide death. Though descriptive studies have been used to provide an overview of support groups in the past, there have been no efforts to understand nuances of these groups and the […]

Survivors of Suicide (SOS) is a support group for bereaved family members and close friends of suicide victims. The group provides a safe place for survivors to support one another as they deal with the painful questions and feelings that follow suicide.  Bereavement after suicide is a profoundly difficult and complex experience. The stigma of […]

This two-part report examines important aspects of survivor of suicide support groups: some of the motivating factors attracting survivors to join these groups and why many withdraw as time after a loss passes. From a variety of data sources, including survey data collected from 462 parents losing a child to suicide, participant observation data (collected […]