Religion and spirituality in online suicide bereavement: an analysis of online memorials

"A sign that I am not alone": A grounded theory-informed qualitative study on spirituality after suicide bereavement

Suicide bereavement is known to be highly distressing and to negatively affect the mental health of the bereaved. The role of religion and spirituality after suicide bereavement remains understudied. We aimed to specifically explore the role of spirituality after suicide bereavement by conducting a qualitative study through semi-structured interviews with fifteen people bereaved by suicide. The grounded theory-informed thematic analysis identified five main themes, namely "continuing bonds with the deceased," "lightening the burden," "grounded spirituality," "perceptual and conceptual shift" and "the movement of giving." For many participants, spirituality was a resource that facilitated the process of accepting their loss by offering a larger entity to which to hand over their suffering. Moreover, the continuing bonds with the deceased helped them to get through this ordeal. Our results can enable mental health professionals to better understand how spirituality can facilitate post-traumatic growth in people bereaved by suicide.

How social media data are being used to research the experience of mourning: A scoping review

Background

Increasingly, people are using social media (SM) to express grief, and researchers are using this data to investigate the phenomenon of mourning. As this research progresses, it is important to understand how studies are being conducted and how authors are approaching ethical challenges related to SM data.

Objective

The aim of this review was to explore how SM data are being used to research experiences of mourning through the following questions: a) ‘Which topics related to mourning are being studied?’; b) ‘What study designs have been used to analyse SM data’; c) ‘What type of data (natural or generated) have been used?’; and d) ‘How are ethical decisions being considered?’.

Methods

The JBI Scoping Review methodology guided this review. Eligibility criteria were determined using the PCC framework, and relevant key words and phrases derived from these criteria were used to search eight databases in September 2021 (CINAHL, Embase, LILACS, OpenGrey, ProQuest, PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus). The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were used to report the results of this review.

Results

Database searches resulted in 3418 records, of which, 89 met eligibility criteria. Four categories of grief and mourning were identified. Most records were qualitative in nature and used natural data. Only 20% of records reported ethics approval by an Institutional Review Board, with several including measures to protect participants, for example, using pseudonyms.

Conclusions

This unique review mapped the diverse range of mourning-related topics that have been investigated using SM data and highlighted the variability in approaches to data analysis. Ethical concerns relating to SM data collection are identified and discussed. This is an emerging and rapidly changing field of research that offers new opportunities and challenges for exploring the phenomenon of mourning.

Continuing Bonds after Loss by Suicide: A Systematic Review

The concept of continuing bonds as an alternative to detachment from the deceased person has gained traction in grief literature over the years. Those bereaved by suicide are likely to experience various grief reactions and may be at-risk for adverse grief and mental health outcomes. However, it remains unclear how those bereaved by suicide experience continuing bonds. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review according to PRISMA guidelines. Searches of peer-reviewed literature in Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, Emcare, EBM Reviews, and Scopus identified 15 studies (2 quantitative and 13 qualitative) reporting on 12 samples, published between 2010 and 2021. The study quality of the quantitative studies was poor, but it was fair amongst the qualitative studies. People bereaved by suicide experienced continuing bonds across a variety of domains and reported mostly positive experiences. Factors that tended to have an impact on the expression of continuing bonds included time since bereavement, relationship to the deceased, social expectations, sex of the bereaved, and the ability of the bereaved to make meaning of the death. The review concludes that most participants reported positive experiences with continuing bonds. However, discrepancies between males and females and between those bereaved by suicide and those bereaved by other causes warrants further investigation. In addition, longitudinal community-based research involving representative samples is needed to understand the evolution and experience of continuing bonds over time in those bereaved by suicide and to inform future efforts in supporting them.

Spirituality and Religiosity during Suicide Bereavement: A Qualitative Systematic Review

A loved one’s loss to suicide can be a traumatic experience and trigger a difficult grief process, identity changes, a loss of the sense of meaning and a spiritual crisis. Spirituality and/or religiosity (S/R) can be both an important resource and a source of stigmatisation during suicide bereavement. This study aims to synthesise the extant findings about S/R during suicide bereavement in qualitative studies. After an exhaustive selection of articles, the current review utilised a total of 484 citations and seven studies. A thematic synthesis yielded five major themes related to S/R during suicide bereavement: the need to be helped by the religious community without being judged; S/R-related experience of the deceased as a figure who continues to exist; S/R experienced without a conscious choice; conscious reach towards S/R themes; not relating to S/R during suicide bereavement. These findings indicate that the role of S/R during suicide bereavement is complex and varies from providing help to serving as a source of suffering. Hence, practitioners and religious communities should be mindful of the S/R themes during suicide bereavement.

The Burden of Farmer Suicide on Surviving Family Members: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to better understand the burden of farmer suicide on surviving family members. Themes included: (1) family members expressed guilt; (2) family members experienced symptoms of psychological distress; (3) family members felt attached to the land and chose to remain on the farm; (4) short-term coping mechanisms included family, friends and faith; (5) long-term coping mechanisms included acts of honoring their loved one; (6) there was a lack of awareness of community support resources following the suicide.

To die or not to die: a qualitative study of men's suicidality in Norway

BACKGROUND

Previous research has shown that men who adhere to traditional beliefs about masculinity have increased health risks compared to those who do not. Single marital status, unemployment, retirement, and physical illness are commonly known risk factors for male suicidal behavior. Most men struggling with these risk factors are, however, not suicidal. To find out more about what makes some men vulnerable to suicidal behavior, risk factors must be analyzed in light of men's life history as well as the social context where they live their masculinity.

METHOD

We conducted semi-structured qualitative in-depth interviews with 15 men (20-76 years old) who were admitted to hospital after a suicidal act. We analyzed the data by means of qualitative content analysis with a directed approach. The analysis was directed by the participants' reports on whether they had wanted to die or not at the time of the suicidal act. On this basis, they were divided into two groups: a "to die" and a "not to die" group. We then analyzed each group separately before comparing them.

RESULTS

In both groups, the main reason or trigger for the suicidal act were problems in intimate relationships. These problems were complex and connected to the men's lived masculinity, ranging from shame, or tainted masculine honor, to taking responsibility as a man for the wife. Some men pointed to pain and ennui as reasons or triggers for their suicidal act. Only one in the "not to die" group took full responsibility for the suicidal act, whereas all but one did the same in the "to die" group. The men not taking responsibility described the suicidal act as involuntary because of either alcohol or a kind of "black-out". Not taking responsibility for the act may be a way of preserving masculine identity.

CONCLUSION

Relationship problems are the main reason or trigger of the suicidal act for most participants, but in very different ways, mirroring lived masculinity. The most striking finding is the uniqueness of each story, questioning the utility of standardized suicide prevention efforts.