Support groups: A psychological or social device for suicide bereavement?

Pietilä, Minna

doi:10.1080/0306988021000025600

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…(13–18). Listening to the experiences of others helps mourners see their personal situation in a new light and to receive comfort and gain confidence in their own ability to cope (5, 13, 19). The opportunity to vent and share one’s feelings, often perceived as oppressing, also mitigates the stressful circumstances of mourners (13, 20–23).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mothers’ experiences of peer support via an Internet discussion forum after the death of a child

Aho¹,

Paavilainen²,

Kaunonen³

2011

Scandinavian Caring Sciences

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The aim of this study was to describe mothers' experiences of peer support via an Internet discussion group for mothers who have a child died. A longitudinal qualitative study design was used. The research data were collected from four (n = 4) bereaved mothers from a private Internet support group titled 'angel baby' during the period 2001-2006. The data included 631 messages. Content analysis was used to examine the data. Peer support on an Internet discussion forum included giving and receiving emotional, cognitive and community support among bereaved mothers. The Internet discussion forum was a viable alternative to peer support after the death of a child. A strong sense of communality and lasting friendships was formed between the bereaved mothers who had similar experiences.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mothers’ experiences of peer support via an Internet discussion forum after the death of a child

Aho¹,

Paavilainen²,

Kaunonen³

2011

Scandinavian Caring Sciences

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“…The reconstruction of events surrounding a suicide must therefore perform the vital function of defending the moral reputations of both the son and the self. Writing about the functions of support groups for the bereaved, Pietilä (2002) noted how members used talk to construct themselves as morally adequate family members. The stories presented here are also fundamentally moral tales (Baruch 1981), in which parents seek to demonstrate that they fulfilled their responsibilities as well as circumstances allowed; that, although they may have made mistakes, they were at least 'good enough' parents, and that they were ultimately powerless to control their child's destiny.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tales of biographical disintegration: how parents make sense of their sons’ suicides

Owens

Lambert

Lloyd

et al. 2007

Sociology Health & Illness

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Suicide research relies heavily on accounts provided by bereaved relatives, using a method known as the psychological autopsy. Psychological autopsy studies are invariably quantitative in design and their findings reinforce the medical model of suicide, emphasising the role of mental illness. They largely ignore the meanings that narrators attach to events, the nature of the sense-making task and the influences bearing upon it. This study drew on psychological autopsy data but used qualitative analytic methods. Fourteen semi-structured interviews with the parents of young men aged 18-30 who had taken their own lives form the basis for this paper. Some parents represent their sons as victims who were cruelly destroyed by external forces, while others portray them as agents of their own destruction. Either way, their narratives are dominated by moral rather than medical categories and by questions of personal accountability. We show how the parents use the interview to perform a complex reconstructive task, striving to piece together both their son's and their own shattered biographies and repair damage to their moral identities. We argue that their stories represent survival tools, enabling them not only to make sense of the past but also to face their own future.

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“…Suicide survivors have access to a variety of postvention services including General Practitioners, bereavement support groups, individual counselling, group therapy (Hawton & Simkin, 2003), and psychotherapy (Pietila, 2010). Recent developments have seen suicide survivors use the internet as a means of on-line support through virtual peer support networks (Rawlinson, Schiff, & Barlow, 2009).…”

Section: Postvention Services and Supportmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Recent developments have seen suicide survivors use the internet as a means of on-line support through virtual peer support networks (Rawlinson, Schiff, & Barlow, 2009). Whilst it is difficult to determine why some suicide survivors access particular interventions, bereavement support groups for example can provide a forum which is supportive, cathartic, compassionate and non-judgemental for those who wish to share their experiences with others going through a similar event (Pietila, 2010). Furthermore, studies have also shown that specialist and psychological treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy (Young et al, 2012) can to some extent provide relief to those who are experiencing intense or complicated grief (Klein & Alexander, 2003).…”

Section: Postvention Services and Supportmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…From a psychological perspective, studies examining lived experiences have generally focused on the internal grief processes and their impact on the bereaved individual, but applying a sociological lens can capture how the individual's social and cultural context can have a strong influence on their grief process (Pietila, 2010). The grief process for those who are bereaved can also be affected by the depth of attachment with the deceased, the strength of the individual's social networks, the point in the bereaved person's and deceased person's life when the suicide occurred, and the bereaved person's cultural and religious affiliation (Parris, 2011).…”

Section: Key Factors Affecting Grief Reactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the Complexities of Suicide Bereavement Research

Ali

2015

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences

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Statistics indicate a projected increase in the number of suicides by those in receipt of mental health services in England. Research has also shown that the impact of suicide on individuals who have lost someone to suicide have an increased risk of poor physical and mental health, including a higher risk of suicidality. However, research within suicide bereavement is limited due to the lack of methodologically robust studies involving those bereaved through suicide. This paper will offer an overview of current debates in the suicide bereavement literature and discuss a forthcoming qualitative study that will examine the impact of suicide by those in receipt of mental health services on their families. The current research will utilise a constructivist grounded theory approach. Analysis of the data will include a process of coding and comparison, leading to theory generation. This study aims to contribute to knowledge of the impact of suicide on family members (where the deceased was in receipt of mental health services) and how to provide effective post-intervention support for these particular families.

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Support groups: A psychological or social device for suicide bereavement?

Cited by 16 publications

References 18 publications

Mothers’ experiences of peer support via an Internet discussion forum after the death of a child

Mothers’ experiences of peer support via an Internet discussion forum after the death of a child

Tales of biographical disintegration: how parents make sense of their sons’ suicides

Exploring the Complexities of Suicide Bereavement Research

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