Grief, Tragic Death, and Multiple Loss in the Lives of Irish Traveller Community Health Workers

Abstract

Recent data on the inequities in mortality, health, and access to health services experienced by the Traveller community in Ireland show higher rates of death by suicide and other sudden causes among members of this marginalized minority group than in the general population. Psychological literature on bereavement suggests that traumatic deaths and multiple deaths within a close network may be more likely to lead to complicated grief reactions. The aim of this study is to add to our understanding of the effects of the differential mortality rate by exploring how grief is experienced within the Traveller community in the context of bereavement from multiple deaths or sudden deaths (including suicide). Data from three semistructured focus group interviews with a total of 10 Traveller Community Health Worker participants (nine female and one male) were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Two master themes organized the salient phenomenological aspects of the grief experience: Living with Tragic Loss and Communicating Tragic Loss. A picture emerged of individual and community-level loss that is extensive, profound, and enduring. The sequelae of deaths by suicide include difficulties in coping, a search for meaning, and a pervasive sense of fear. Silence, the embodied act of giving voice to tragic loss, and strategies for managing disclosure of tragic deaths with children were all strong themes which emerged from the analysis. This study uses interpretative phenomenological analysis to generate a vivid picture of the lived psychological experience of grief as it is experienced by members of a minority group with above average rates of sudden and early deaths. This contributes to understanding the burden of health inequality in an underresearched population. Findings in relation to challenges in communicating with children about tragic deaths can be integrated into bereavement support resources.

A rapid review of Irish Traveller mental health and suicide: a psychosocial and anthropological perspective

“…Of these, the leading quantitative study calculated a Standardised Mortality Ratio for suicide amongst Travellers in Ireland, and reported an SMR of 6.6 for young adult males (Abdalla et al 2013). The qualitative studies focussed on aspects of mental illness and postvention themes and impacts of bereavement, grief and loss through suicide ((McGorrian et al 2013;Malone et al 2017;Tobin et al 2018;Millan & Smith, 2019).…”

“…The Irish Travellers show many features in common with other indigenous ethnic minority (IEM) populations. Mental health is interrelated with incarceration, substance misuse, bereavement, domestic violence and social supports, which have been identified as contributing factors in the general population, however, Travellers often experience increased levels of such (Goward et al 2006;AITHS, 2010, Van Hout, 2010Gray et al 2016;Tobin et al 2018;Dickson et al 2019). Discrimination, educational disadvantage and social exclusion are increasingly prevalent in this community (Pavee Point, 2013), all of which have been implied as aggravating factors of poor mental health (O'Shea, 2011).…”

Case series: Psychosocial challenges of female youth within the Irish Travelling community

“…Other hardships include experiences of abnormal grief and loss, there is a higher risk of suicide and early death in the Travelling community who feel the loss of loved one's keenly (Tobin et al, 2020). Traveller women are fearful regarding their families' and their own mortality.…”

Does Post-Traumatic Growth Follow Parental Death in Adulthood? An Empirical Investigation

“…In the context of grief and bereavement, Abrams (2000) stated that parental death is one of the most painful incidents in an individual's life, which has both emotional and psychological effects on individuals, regardless of their age. Furthermore, the death of a parent, multiple deaths and traumatic death, may lead to complicated grief reactions (Tobin et al, 2020). Several researchers have highlighted the significance of parental bereavement during adulthood and the fact that this subject has not been well researched in the scholarly literature (Koblenz, 2015;LaFreniere & Cain, 2015).…”