Youth Suicide Bereavement and the Continuum of Risk

Abstract

Abstract. Background: There is limited research investigating the risks for young friends exposed to the suicide of peers. Aims: This study aimed to better understand the impact of suicide bereavement on rural young people. Method: Participants in this a mixed-method study were 18 young people who had been exposed to a friend's suicide and who resided in rural Australia. Quantitative data were analyzed with SPSS and qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results: Participants reported high levels of depression, anxiety, and alcohol use. Key themes were communication about the death, responses to the death, and coping with the death. Young people identified as close friends with the person who died were at less risk of their own suicidal behavior, but demonstrated increased mental health concerns. More peripheral friends were identified at greater risk of suicide. Limitations: The limitations of the study were the purposeful sampling open to selection bias, lack of randomization, and results from one point in time. Conclusion: These findings support that guidelines and interventions following a youth suicide need to better target both the peripheral friends, owing to their greater suicide risk, and the closer friends, owing to other mental health concerns.

Impacts of suicide bereavement on men: a systematic review

“…Two mixed-methods studies were included in this review. Time since bereavement ranged between 15 and 38 months in one study ( 53 ) and was not reported in the other study ( 76 ). Both studies ( 53 , 76 ) had a sample size of N = 18, with a slightly lower proportion of men compared to women.…”

“…Time since bereavement ranged between 15 and 38 months in one study ( 53 ) and was not reported in the other study ( 76 ). Both studies ( 53 , 76 ) had a sample size of N = 18, with a slightly lower proportion of men compared to women. One sample comprised friends of the deceased ( 76 ), while the other included partners, parents, siblings and offspring ( 53 ).…”

“…Both studies ( 53 , 76 ) had a sample size of N = 18, with a slightly lower proportion of men compared to women. One sample comprised friends of the deceased ( 76 ), while the other included partners, parents, siblings and offspring ( 53 ).…”

Vulnerable yet forgotten? A systematic review identifying the lack of evidence for effective suicide interventions for young people in contact with child protection systems.

“…Although the prevalence of suicide attempts among young people peaks during adolescence, the prevalence of death by suicide increases steadily into young adulthood (Carballo et al, 2020). For example, in Australia, suicide has been reported as the leading cause of death among young people for the past decade (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2020; Bartik et al, 2020). The number of deaths by suicide and standardized death rates for suicide among young people increased across all Australian states and territories.…”

Depression and Suicide Ideation among Suicide-Loss Survivors: A Six-Year Longitudinal Study

“…Suicide is not only a tragic end of life but may also be the beginning of a very challenging life for those left behind. Contemporary estimates highlight the profound impact of each suicide on about 60 suicide-loss survivors (SLSs), referring to individuals exposed to the suicide, including family members, friends, co-workers, classmates, or therapists [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Thus, between 48 million to 500 million people could be considered SLSs annually [ 5 ].…”