Preparation for When Prevention Doesn’t Work

Survivors of Suicide: A Comprehensive Bibliography Update, 1986–1995

An update of a 1985–86 Omega bibliography of the literature on survivors of suicide is presented. Following brief introductory comments, including the identification of research and therapy needs and unresolved issues, the bibliography listings are organized by the following subtopics: general references on family members and friends as suicide survivors; children, adolescents, youth, and parents as survivors; school and educational settings; parental suicide; elderly suicide survivors; mental health professionals and clinicians in training as survivors; survivors of professionals' suicides; and research on attitudes toward survivors. Published works in professional journals, books, book chapters, and doctoral dissertations on the topic of survivor-victims are included.

College and University Student Suicide

Suicide among college and university students is unquestionably an important issue on the nation's college campuses. This is true not only because of the frequency of suicidal attempts/completions, but also because of the severe trauma often precipitated by suicide. Although there are numerous writings discussing the general phenomenon of suicide -and in particular child and adolescent suicide -less has been written concerning suicidal trends specifically among college students. Thus the purpose of this article will be to summarize the prominent literature in the area of college student suicide, provide a critical review, identify relevant themes, and discuss future directions.

Death on campuses: common postvention strategies in higher education

The purpose of this article is to expand on E. S. Zinner's (1985a) postvention recommendations and, given R. L. Wrenn's (1991a) conclusion that 62% of institutions have not created a postvention plan, describe how to develop a death response team (DRT) to deal with campus fatalities. The basic components of a DRT that are examined include the team's development, family and faculty notification, psychological first aid to assist students, community postvention strategies, documentation, and staff training. Information on how postvention strategies vary according to the student's group membership, type of death, and institution's resources is also presented. It is concluded that present postvention literature has expanded on E. S. Zinner's suggestions, although additional research is still needed. Recommendations are made to modify counseling training programs, obtain the support of key administrators, recognize that a DRT cannot plan for everything, and provide ongoing bereavement support for students