The psychological impact of losing a friend to suicide

Bartik, Warren; Maple, Myfanwy; Edwards, Helen; Kiernan, Michael

doi:10.1177/1039856213497986

Cited by 31 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 31 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…Regarding mental health, there is evidence of increased new onset psychiatric problems (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance abuse) shortly after bereavement and irrespective of kinship relationship with the deceased (Bartik, Maple, Edwards, & Kiernan, 2013b;Brent et al, 1992Brent et al, , 1993aBrent et al, , 1993bBrent et al, , 1993cBrent et al, , 1995Bridge, Day, Richardson, Birmaher, & Brent, 2003;Cerel et al, 1999Cerel et al, , 2000Ho, Leung, Hung, Lee, & Tang, 2000;Melhem et al, 2004b;Sethi & Bhargava, 2003). In addition, long-term mental health risks in peer (Brent, Moritz, Bridge, Perper, & Canobbio, 1996b;Brent et al, 1994;Melhem et al, 2004a) and parentally bereaved adolescents were reported (Brent, Melhem, Donohoe, & Walker, 2009;Brent, Melhem, Masten, Porta, & Payne, 2012;Cerel et al, 2000;Hamdan, Melhem, Porta, Song, & Brent, 2013;Melhem, Moritz, Walker, Shear, & Brent, 2007;Melhem, Walker, Moritz, & Brent, 2008;Melhem, Porta, Shamseddeen, Payne, & Brent, 2011), as opposed to sibling-bereaved adolescents (Brent, Moritz, Bridge, Perper, & Canobbio, 1996a, 1993d, though few studies have investigated sibling suicide bereavement (Dyregrov & Dyregrov, 2005).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre- and postloss features of adolescent suicide bereavement: A systematic review

et al. 2015

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Despite increasing clinical and research interest in suicide bereavement the impact of suicide on adolescents is still poorly understood. This systematic review aims to disentangle pre- and postloss features that affect response to grief in this age group. The literature was analyzed after a systematic search and hand-check of retrieved articles. The impact of suicide is affected by (a) preloss features related to personal/family history of mental health, family life, suicidal behavior, and type and emotional closeness of relationship; and (b) postloss issues such as quality of remaining relationships. Future research and bereavement support should consider these broader contexts.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre- and postloss features of adolescent suicide bereavement: A systematic review

et al. 2015

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“…Adolescent suicidal behavior and deaths make lasting impacts on families, who may be left confused about the lack of signs prior to suicide, and who struggle with stress, anxiety and depression in the wake of losing a valued family member [ 7 ]. Friends of adolescents who die by suicide also struggle with depression and suicidal ideation [ 8 ], and the larger community is affected as well [ 9 , 10 ], including through potential suicide contagion [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Positive Relationships with Adults and Resilience to Suicide Attempt among New Mexico Hispanic Adolescents

Hall

Fullerton

Green

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Suicide is a leading cause of adolescent death and has increased in recent years. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that relationships with adults at home and in the community had on the probability of suicide attempts of Hispanic teenagers in New Mexico. Data from the 2019 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey were analyzed to identify the ways in which relationships with adults influenced suicide attempts among Hispanic adolescent students. The examined factors included: relationships with adults in the home and in the community and with same-age friends, and participation in hobbies or organizations outside of school. The resiliency factors were similar for male and female Hispanic students. As positive relationships with adults at home or in the community increased, the probability of suicide attempts decreased by 37–54%. Positive relationships with same-age friends were also associated with reduced suicide attempts. Community organization involvement and hobbies affected males and females differently. Adults at home and in the community can decrease the risk of suicide for Hispanic teenagers through supportive relationships. Hybrid programs focusing on adolescent health, positive communication, and academic support, which integrate adults from home and community environments, show promise in reducing suicidal thoughts and other risk behaviors.

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“…Research has shown that coping ability is related to levels of suicidality (after controlling for depression), and may interact with levels of defeat and entrapment to elevate or reduce risk of suicide (Gooding et al, 2015). Studies also demonstrate that suicide bereaved youth engage in increased risk taking behaviours to cope with a loss, such as alcohol and drug misuse and risky sexual behaviours (Bartik et al, 2013a), and may utilise more avoidant coping strategies, such as distraction and social diversion (Bartik et al, 2013b). Relatedly, self-esteem has been associated with vulnerability to suicide, where low levels of self-esteem were associated with high suicide probability (measured through the constructs of hopelessness, suicidal ideation, hostility, and negative self-evaluations) even after controlling for depression (Gooding et al, 2015).…”

Section: Suicide Theory: the Imv Model Of Suicidal Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Theory-Based Longitudinal Investigation Examining Predictors of Self-Harm in Adolescents With and Without Bereavement Experiences

2020

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Background: Research has demonstrated that exposure to suicide can lead to increased vulnerability for self-harm or suicide. As a result, ideation-to-action models of suicide (e.g., the Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicide; IMV) recognise exposure as a significant risk factor which may be implicated in the translation of thoughts into actions. However, few studies have tested this theoretical link explicitly within an adolescent population, and examined how it compares to other types of bereavements. Methods: A 6-month prospective questionnaire study was conducted with 185 Scottish adolescents aged 11-17 (113 adolescents also completed the questionnaire at followup). The questionnaire included measures on experiences with bereavement and lifetime engagement in self-harm, as well as measures of defeat, entrapment, social support, coping, and other psychological variables. Results: At baseline, 12% of young people reported exposure to a suicide death, and 61% to a non-suicide death. In addition, 21% of pupils reported ever engaging in self-harm, while 23% had experienced self-harm ideation without engaging in it. Cross-sectional multivariate logistic regressions showed that family social support, glorifying/normalising beliefs about suicide, and family self-harm were significantly associated with self-harm group membership (control, ideation, or enactment groups). At follow-up, 10% of pupils reported exposure to a suicide death and 16% to a nonsuicide death for the first time. A total of 26% of the sample reported self-harm at T2 (11% of participants for the first time), and 24% reported self-harm ideation without engaging in it. Multivariate analyses found that self-harm ideation and family self-harm at baseline were the only variables to predict self-harm group membership prospectively, in the expected directions. Bereavement experiences, whether by suicide or non-suicide, did not predict self-harm group status at baseline nor at follow-up.

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The psychological impact of losing a friend to suicide

Cited by 31 publications

References 31 publications

Pre- and postloss features of adolescent suicide bereavement: A systematic review

Pre- and postloss features of adolescent suicide bereavement: A systematic review

Positive Relationships with Adults and Resilience to Suicide Attempt among New Mexico Hispanic Adolescents

A Theory-Based Longitudinal Investigation Examining Predictors of Self-Harm in Adolescents With and Without Bereavement Experiences

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