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Zavrou R, Charalambous A, Papastavrou E, Koutroubas A, Karanikola M. Qualitative inquiry into the experience of suicide loss, aftereffects and coping strategies of suicide-bereaved Greek-speaking parents in Cyprus. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being 2023; 18:2265671. [PMID: 37803997 PMCID: PMC10561585 DOI: 10.1080/17482631.2023.2265671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
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 two fathers was applied. RESULTS The participants described their efforts to make sense of the senseless, reporting numerous interpretations of their child's suicide. Some participants had achieved to move on by trying to keep the remaining family together. Others felt detached from their social network. The different coping strategies and support systems described, reflected participants' efforts to escape from obsessive, enduring and deeply traumatizing thoughts about their child's suicide. The analysis mirrored participants' ultimate desire to find existential relief and serenity through the management of distressing reminders of their child's suicide, and alleviate the burden of their own negative self-judgement and the criticism of others. They sought physical and emotional comfort in the inner realm of their psyche, through spiritual and psychological coping processes. CONCLUSION Further exploration is suggested about intervention planning aiming to strengthen effective coping strategies and external supportive resources in mourning parents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafailia Zavrou
- Cyprus Mental Health Services, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
| | | | | | - Anna Koutroubas
- Department of Nursing, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
| | - Maria Karanikola
- Department of Nursing, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
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Ennis N, Bottomley J, Sawyer J, Moreland AD, Rheingold AA. Measuring Grief in the Context of Traumatic Loss: A Systematic Review of Assessment Instruments. TRAUMA, VIOLENCE & ABUSE 2023; 24:2346-2362. [PMID: 35616367 PMCID: PMC9699905 DOI: 10.1177/15248380221093694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Following traumatic loss, defined as the death of a loved one due to unexpected or violent circumstances, adults may experience a myriad of grief-related problems. Given the addition of Prolonged Grief Disorders into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders Fifth Edition, Text-Revision and influx of unexpected deaths due to the global Coronavirus pandemic, there is heightened interest in the measurement of grief-related processes. We conducted a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to identify measures of grief used in studies of adults who experienced traumatic loss. Searches yielded 164 studies that used 31 unique measures of grief-related constructs. The most commonly used instrument was the Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised. Half of the measures assessed constructs beyond diagnosable pathological grief responses. Given the wide variation and adaptations of measures reviewed, we recommend greater testing and uniformity of measurement across the field. Future research is needed to adapt and/or design measures to evaluate new criteria for Prolonged Grief Disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Ennis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Jamison Bottomley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | | | - Angela D. Moreland
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Alyssa A. Rheingold
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
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Nicholas A, Haregu T, Henderson C, Armstrong G. Suicide stigma measures: A scoping review. J Affect Disord 2023; 321:114-125. [PMID: 36283535 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Worldwide, approximately 800,000 people die by suicide every year, and non-fatal suicidal thoughts and behaviours are common. Stigma is likely a major barrier to preventing suicide. The purpose of our review is to scope the development, psychometric properties and use of measures that explicitly seek to measure the construct of suicide stigma. METHODS We conducted a scoping review. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase and CINAHL using search terms related to suicide, stigma and measures/scales with no date limits. We included any measure the authors defined as measuring suicide-related stigma. Only peer-reviewed articles published in English were included. RESULTS We included 106 papers discussing 23 measures of suicide stigma; 82 provided data on psychometric properties. Measures assessed personal or public stigma; and stigma toward a range of suicidal phenomena (e.g., suicidal thoughts, those bereaved by suicide). 'Stigma' definitions varied and were not always provided. The Grief Experience Questionnaire, Suicide Opinion Questionnaire and Stigma of Suicide Scale were the most commonly cited. Measures varied in the strength of their psychometric properties. LIMITATIONS We only included papers in English. Because we included any measures authors defined as measuring suicide stigma, we may have included measures not commonly considered as measures of suicide stigma, and conversely we might have excluded relevant measures because they did not use the term 'stigma'. DISCUSSION This review aimed to assist in better understanding available suicide stigma measures, their strengths and weaknesses and current uses, and will inform the development of future suicide stigma measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Nicholas
- Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Tilahun Haregu
- Nossal Institute for Global Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Claire Henderson
- Health Service and Population Research, Kings College London, UK
| | - Gregory Armstrong
- Nossal Institute for Global Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
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Snijdewind MC, de Keijser J, Casteelen G, Boelen PA, Smid GE. "I lost so much more than my partner" - Bereaved partners' grief experiences following suicide or physician-assisted dying in case of a mental disorder. BMC Psychiatry 2022; 22:454. [PMID: 35799148 PMCID: PMC9261256 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-022-04098-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a lack of existing research on grief following the intentional death of people suffering from a mental disorder. Our study aims to provide insight into grief experiences and social reactions of bereaved persons who lost their life partners, who were suffering from a mental disorder, to physician-assisted dying (PAD) or suicide. METHODS For this mixed-methods research, we conducted a survey and in-depth interviews with 27 persons living in the Netherlands and bereaved by the death of their life partners. The deceased life partners suffered from a mental disorder and had died by physician-assisted dying (n = 12) or suicide (n = 15). Interviews explored grief experiences and social reactions. In the survey we compared self-reported grief reactions of partners bereaved by suicide and PAD using the Grief Experience Questionnaire. RESULTS Compared to suicide, physician-assisted dying was associated with less severe grief experiences of the bereaved partners. Participants reported that others rarely understood the suffering of their deceased partners and sometimes expected them to justify their partners' death. Following physician-assisted dying, the fact that the partner's euthanasia request was granted, helped others understand that the deceased person's mental suffering had been unbearable and irremediable. Whereas, following suicide, the involvement of the bereaved partners was sometimes the focus of judicial inquiry, especially, if the partner had been present during the death. CONCLUSION When individuals suffering from a mental disorder die by suicide or PAD, their bereaved partners may experience a lack of understanding from others. Although both ways of dying are considered unnatural, their implications for bereaved partners vary considerably. We propose looking beyond the dichotomy of PAD versus suicide when studying grief following the intentional death of people suffering from a mental disorder, and considering other important aspects, such as expectedness of the death, suffering during it, and partners' presence during the death.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. C. Snijdewind
- ARQ Centrum’45, Nienoord 5, 1112 XE, Diemen, The Netherlands ,grid.5650.60000000404654431Department of Ethics, Law and Humanities, Amsterdam UMC, Academic Medical Centre, P.O. Box 22660, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J. de Keijser
- grid.4830.f0000 0004 0407 1981Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - G. Casteelen
- Expertisecentrum Euthanasie, P.O. Box 13480, 2501 EL Den Haag, The Netherlands
| | - P. A. Boelen
- ARQ Centrum’45, Nienoord 5, 1112 XE, Diemen, The Netherlands ,grid.491097.2ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, Nienoord 5, 1112 XE, Diemen, The Netherlands ,grid.5477.10000000120346234Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - G. E. Smid
- ARQ Centrum’45, Nienoord 5, 1112 XE, Diemen, The Netherlands ,grid.491097.2ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, Nienoord 5, 1112 XE, Diemen, The Netherlands ,grid.449771.80000 0004 0545 9398Department of Humanistic Chaplaincy Studies, University of Humanistic Studies, Kromme Nieuwegracht 29, 3512 HD Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Lascelles KM. Might Informal Carers of Adults With Enduring Suicidality Experience Anticipatory Loss? CRISIS 2021; 43:215-219. [PMID: 33860678 DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Carers of loved ones who repeatedly express suicidal intent and/or engage in suicidal behavior may experience a sense of anticipation of eventual suicide due to the potential of a fatal act of self-harm. An understanding of John Rolland's concept of anticipatory loss may help clinicians understand and attend to the experiences of carers of adults who engage in repeated suicidal behavior. Indeed, there appear to be some similarities between this model of anticipatory loss and experiences of informal carers, indicating that the phenomenon, which is hitherto under-explored in the suicidology field, may merit further consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Moya Lascelles
- Mental Health Directorate, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK.,Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
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Stigma, grief and depressive symptoms in help-seeking people bereaved through suicide. J Affect Disord 2019; 244:223-230. [PMID: 30366261 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.10.098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 09/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The painful experience of mourning after suicide can be further complicated by the stigma surrounding suicide survival. We investigated how grief and depression influence the perception of stigma towards survivors in a sample of help-seeking persons bereaved through suicide. METHODS Cross-sectional design. Information on sociodemographic variables and responses to the Stigma of Suicide Survivor Scale, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG) was collected from 240 people bereaved through suicide who consecutively accessed an online support initiative. RESULTS Despite the strong correlation between ICG and BDI scores, the intensity of depressive but not of grief symptoms was related to perceived stigma towards survivors. Time since loss was also positively related to levels of perceived stigma against survivors. The links between depression and perceived stigma persisted after taking into account relationship with the deceased and other sociodemographic factors. LIMITATIONS The main study limitations are the cross-sectional design, reliance on self-report measures, and the self-selection of the sample of people bereaved through suicide, seeking help through a website. Social support was not measured and the sample included a large proportion of women. CONCLUSIONS Specific interventions designed for persons bereaved by suicide should consider that psychological distress and mourning are qualitatively different reactions to a suicide loss. The relationship among perceived stigma, depressive suffering and time elapsed since the suicide loss suggests the usefulness of closely investigating the experience of stigma in all people bereaved through suicide with depressive symptoms, even long after the event.
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Kõlves K, Zhao Q, Ross V, Hawgood J, Spence SH, de Leo D. Suicide and other sudden death bereavement of immediate family members: An analysis of grief reactions six-months after death. J Affect Disord 2019; 243:96-102. [PMID: 30241027 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2018] [Revised: 08/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION While suicide bereavement has been assumed to be different from bereavement following death by other modes, a number of studies have reported that there are several similarities, particularly for violent deaths. The aims of the current study are to test, using confirmatory factor analysis, the factor structure of Grief Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) that has been proposed in other studies; and to compare short term grief reactions, mental health, and suicidality six-months after bereavement in close family members bereaved by suicide versus sudden death. METHODS Participants were 142 adults who were bereaved following a suicide and 63 who were bereaved following the sudden death of a family member. Data were collected six-months after the death. RESULTS Analyses did not show good fits for the factor structures proposed for the GEQ in earlier studies. However, a relatively good fit was found for an 8-factor version of the originally proposed GEQ. Bereavement type (suicide vs. sudden death) significantly predicted rejection, somatic reactions, stigmatisation, responsibility and shame on the GEQ, after adjusting for kinship type, gender, age, pre-bereavement diagnosis of mental illness and self-harm behaviours of both the deceased and the bereaved, and current mental health and suicidal ideation of the bereaved. LIMITATIONS Different recruitment methods were used and response rates were relatively low. CONCLUSIONS The new knowledge of bereaved experiences specific to suicide loss at six-months post death, should be channelled into determining the most practical and satisfactory ways to alleviate the impacts of these potentially changeable states of experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kairi Kõlves
- Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt Campus, QLD 4122, Australia.
| | - Qing Zhao
- Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt Campus, QLD 4122, Australia
| | - Victoria Ross
- Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt Campus, QLD 4122, Australia
| | - Jacinta Hawgood
- Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt Campus, QLD 4122, Australia
| | - Susan H Spence
- Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt Campus, QLD 4122, Australia
| | - Diego de Leo
- Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt Campus, QLD 4122, Australia
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Wojtkowiak J, Vanherf NC, Schuhmann CM. Grief in a biography of losses: Meaning-making in hard drug users' grief narratives on drug-related death. DEATH STUDIES 2018; 43:122-132. [PMID: 30252614 DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2018.1456708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The focus in grief theories has been increasingly shifting toward questions of meaning. In this study, we draw on the meaning-reconstruction model of grief for studying the unique case of hard drug users who have experienced a drug-related death. The social context of hard drug use, as well as the death and grief circumstances, is problematic and stigmatized. Grief narratives of 10 respondents were analyzed according to the principles of grounded theory. We identified four main themes: (1) the inhibition of emotion by drugs leading to fragmented grief reactions, (2) social exclusion and notions of disenfranchized grief, (3) the acceptance of death, and (4) meaningfulness in a "biography of losses." Connecting these results with the literature on meaning, we find that meaning-making is a multidimensional and layered process, where some layers result in meanings made while others do not. Finally, this study emphasizes the importance of social and emotional aspects of grieving, as well as the ambiguity of the notion of successful meaning-making in relation to grief.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Wojtkowiak
- a Department of Globalization and Dialogue Studies , University of Humanistic Studies , Utrecht , The Netherlands
| | - Noëmie C Vanherf
- a Department of Globalization and Dialogue Studies , University of Humanistic Studies , Utrecht , The Netherlands
| | - Carmen M Schuhmann
- a Department of Globalization and Dialogue Studies , University of Humanistic Studies , Utrecht , The Netherlands
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Jordan JR, McGann V. Clinical work with suicide loss survivors: Implications of the U.S. postvention guidelines. DEATH STUDIES 2017; 41:659-672. [PMID: 28557576 DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2017.1335553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The loss of a loved one to suicide can present difficult challenges for suicide loss survivors (people bereaved by suicide) as well as for clinicians who would seek to help them. Building on the recommendations in the new document Responding to Grief, Trauma, and Distress after a Suicide: U.S. National Guidelines, this article provides an overview of clinical work with suicide loss survivors. It includes discussions of the common themes of suicide bereavement, the psychological tasks for integration of a suicide loss, and the options for providing grief therapy after a suicide. The article will be of value to caregivers who work with suicide loss survivors in counseling or therapeutic context.
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Scocco P, Preti A, Totaro S, Ferrari A, Toffol E. Stigma and psychological distress in suicide survivors. J Psychosom Res 2017; 94:39-46. [PMID: 28183401 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2016.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Revised: 12/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/28/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Suicide bereavement is frequently related to clinically significant psychological distress and affected by stigma. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between psychological distress by psychopathological domains and stigma, in a sample of individuals bereaved by suicide (suicide survivors). METHODS The data were collected between January 2012 and December 2014 and included information on sociodemographic variables (gender, age, marital status and education level) and responses to the Stigma of Suicide Survivor scale (STOSSS) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). One hundred and fifty-five suicide survivors completed the evaluation and were included in the study. RESULTS Levels of psychological distress in suicide survivors, as measured by BSI, were positively related to levels of perceived stigma toward suicide survivors, as measured by STOSSS. The association was not affected by age and gender, or by marital status, education level, days from suicide or a personal history of suicide attempt. Participants with higher scores on almost all subscales of the BSI, particularly the interpersonal sensitivity and paranoid ideation subscales, reported the highest levels of perceived stigma toward suicide survivors. CONCLUSION Levels of distress in subjects bereaved by the suicide of a relative or friend were positively associated with levels of perceived stigma toward suicide survivors. Specific interventions dedicated to the bereavement of suicide survivors might help to alleviate not only psychological distress but also stigma towards loss by suicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Scocco
- Soproxi Project, via Vesalio 10, Padova, Italy; Mental Health Department, via Buzzaccarini 1, ULSS 6 Euganea, Padova, Italy.
| | - Antonio Preti
- Genneruxi Medical Center, via Costantinopoli 42, 09129 Cagliari, Italy.
| | | | | | - Elena Toffol
- Soproxi Project, via Vesalio 10, Padova, Italy; Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166 A, Helsinki, Finland.
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Hanschmidt F, Lehnig F, Riedel-Heller SG, Kersting A. The Stigma of Suicide Survivorship and Related Consequences-A Systematic Review. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0162688. [PMID: 27657887 PMCID: PMC5033475 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background considerable proportion of the population experiences major life disruptions after losing a loved one to suicide. Social stigma attached to suicide survivors adds to complications occurring in the course of suicide bereavement. Despite its known risks, stigma related to suicide survivors has been sparsely investigated. Methods We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo and PsyArticles, of studies indexed up through August 2015. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they addressed experiences of stigma in suicide survivors, compared them to other bereavement populations, or investigated stigmatizing attitudes within the public. The search was restricted to English-language studies. Results 25 records matched inclusion criteria. Study designs were heterogeneous, making comparisons difficult. Results demonstrated that suicide survivors experience stigma in the form of shame, blame, and avoidance. Suicide survivors showed higher levels of stigma than natural death survivors. Stigma was linked to concealment of the death, social withdrawal, reduced psychological and somatic functioning, and grief difficulties. Only one study investigated stigmatizing attitudes towards suicide survivors among the general population. Limitations Internal and external validity of the studies was restricted by a lack of valid measures and selection bias. Conclusions More methodologically sound research is needed to understand the impact of stigma on suicide survivors’ grief trajectories and to separate it from other grief aspects. Clinicians and grief-counselors as well as the public should be educated about the persistent stigma experienced by suicide survivors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franz Hanschmidt
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Franziska Lehnig
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Steffi G. Riedel-Heller
- Institute for Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anette Kersting
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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Andriessen K. Suicide bereavement and postvention in major suicidology journals: lessons learned for the future of postvention. CRISIS 2016; 35:338-48. [PMID: 25163845 DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Since the seminal publications of Shneidman (1969) and Cain (1972), suicide bereavement and postvention have attracted increasing research interest. AIMS To examine the topics of suicide bereavement and postvention in the core international suicidology journals, since their inception until mid-2013, in order to reveal the number of postvention articles throughout the years, their geographic distribution, and the topics of suicide bereavement and postvention that have been published. METHOD The online databases of four journals (Crisis, The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention; Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior [SLTB]; Archives of Suicide Research; and Suicidology Online) as well as the tables of content of all issues were searched. The number of articles and the countries of origin were quantified, and articles were categorized according to their content. RESULTS The search identified 144 postvention articles, published during the past 40 years, almost exclusively in two journals (Crisis and SLTB). The majority of articles were (co-)authored by authors from Anglo-Saxon, Western countries. Articles were categorized in three groups: characteristics of suicide bereavement (n = 73), postvention programs (n = 66), and definition/theory and epidemiology of survivors (n = 5). CONCLUSION Articles on suicide bereavement and postvention have been published mostly in two suicidology journals, albeit in modest numbers, and from a limited number of mostly Western countries. Our understanding of suicide bereavement and the provision of survivor support might benefit from the development of consensual definitions and from studies in other parts of the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Andriessen
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Belgium
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