The Lived Experiences of Late-Adolescent Female Suicide Survivors: ‘A Part of me Died’

This phenomenological psychological study explored the lived experiences of 5 late-adolescent suicide survivors, particularly those negative experiences that seemed to worsen in the following weeks & months. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling & data were collected through collage-facilitated, face-to-face phenomenological interviews with some participants also providing documentary materials. Data analysis was done according to Giorgi’s phenomenological method. The salient experiences that emerged were guilt, self-blame, blaming others or god, anger, loss or restriction of ‘self’, depression, suboptimal behavioural coping patterns, changes in relationship dynamics, & suicidality. (74 refs.) JA