The Meaning of Suicide: Adolescents React to the Suicide of a Peer of Casual Acquaintance

This report on an exploratory & methodologically qualitative study involving 8 students, appraised the suicide of a peer as being irrelevant, benign, or a threat to their well-being. Even though subjects were not close to the decedents, the suicides upset them as basic assumptions & beliefs about their world were challenged. Student’s reactions could be viewed as a form of post-traumatic stress. Study implications & suggestions for future research are outlined.