Year: 2007 Source: Crisis, v.28, no.1, (2007), p.26-34 SIEC No: 20070443

This study reports on the lived experience of 8 Irish adults bereaved by suicide. Data were obtained through indepth interviews. Four main themes dominated the grief experience: trying to control the impact of the death; needing to make sense of the death; social uneasiness; & an eventual realization of purposefulness in life following the suicide. Findings suggest suicide bereavement is molded & shaped by the bereaved individual’s life experiences with the deceased & their perceptions following social interactions after the death. Findings also suggest “meaning making” may be an important variable in furthering understanding of the nuances in suicide bereavement. (43 refs.)