Adults Mourning Suicide: Self-Reported Concerns About Bereavement, Needs for Assistance, and Help-Seeking Behavior

Abstract

This study empirically characterized the experiences of 227 adult next-of-kin as they mourned suicides that had occurred in New York City during 1997. Next-of-kin reported psychosocial problems including family difficulties, comorbid stressors, psychiatric symptomatology, and unresolved bereavement. Professional intervention was the most frequently reported need and the most frequently reported type of desired help. In terms of actual receipt of assistance, participants reported having received help from families, friends, and communities as well as from professionals. Although some next-of-kin had not sought help because they felt able to cope without assistance, others encounted barriers to receiving desired help. These findings warrant increased and sustained community outreach to this population. Recommendations include public education regarding de-stigmatization of suicide and the needs of the suicidally bereaved, enhancement of internal and external coping supports, facilitation of access to both professional and community help, and better coordinated and more culturally appropriate services.

A Call for Research: The Need to Better Understand the Impact of Support Groups for Suicide Survivors

“…Suicide is clearly a significant public health issue (US Public Health Service, 2002). Each suicide produces at least six and as many as hundreds of “survivors,” those people who are left behind to grieve and make sense of the death (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2004; Crosby & Sacks, 2002; Provini, Everett, & Pfeffer, 2000). While the word survivor tends to be used in The United States of America, in other parts of the world, “bereaved by suicide” is a more widely used term (Beautrais, 2004).…”

“…Only about 25 percent of 144 next-of-kin survivors surveyed by phone reported receiving any help since the suicide, despite seventy-four percent indicating a desire for help (Provini, et al, 2000). In another study, half of Norwegian bereaved survivors felt a need for professional mental health treatment, but only one quarter actually sought out help (Dyregrov, 2002).…”

Essential Questions on Suicide Bereavement and Postvention

“…A study by Provini et al . [23] showed that while 72% of survivors expressed the need for professional help, only 47% actually received it; an observation confirmed in other studies, e.g., [32]. It has been estimated that while there were over 50,000 suicides per year in Europe, only 10,000 survivors attended survivor groups and there are significant differences in the availability of this form of help in Europe.…”

“…A wide variety of psycho-social needs of suicide survivors which should be met by postvention programs have been identified. These include difficulties related to the disruption of family relations and routines, functional impairments in daily activities, difficulties with social and familial relationships, spiritual struggles as well as financial and juridical problems [10,20,21,22,23]. In addition, the mechanisms of identification with the deceased, social modelling, punishment for perceived self-blame as well as genetic factors might be accountable for the increased risk of suicidal ideation and behaviour, and at-risk behaviours observed among some of the survivors [24].…”

A survey of Dutch GPs' attitudes towards help seeking and follow-up care for relatives bereaved by suicide

“…Possibly, this has affected their attitudes and proceedings regarding relatives’ help requests. This assumption is supported by the large proportion of GPs (65%) who counselled the bereaved themselves; more often than a ∼50% rate found in previous studies 25. Unfortunately, it remained unclear to what extent the sample represents GPs who were actually involved in the RCT.…”