Unveiling studies on self-healing practices for suicide loss survivors: A scoping review

This scoping review aimed to examine how self-healing practices had been addressed in the empirical literature on suicide bereavement. Adhering to PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched five databases for peer-reviewed studies that reported using self-healing practices, either as a primary or secondary finding and 32 studies were included. The results highlight a substantial research gap in understanding self-healing practices' definition, implementation, and effectiveness in suicide bereavement. Further studies are necessary to clarify the definition, identify facilitators and barriers to implementation, and explore the applicability of these strategies in diverse contexts, particularly in non-Western and Low-and Middle-income countries.

When a Child Dies by Suicide: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study

Suicide is a global concern for the well-being of families. When parents experience their child's death by suicide, their well-being can be substantially impaired. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of parents whose children died by suicide. Data were collected from 25 mothers through interviews between 2019 and 2021 and analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. The data revealed five superordinate themes, including (1) who am I; (2) the unrelenting questions; (3) my existence on earth is brutal and cruel; (4) grief; and (5) the meaning. Each superordinate theme includes two to four supporting clusters. Parents' grief associated with a child's suicide is overwhelming and paralyzing but is often a journey to find the meaning or the reason for the death. Parents are traumatized and emotionally vulnerable. Healthcare providers need to support parents who lose their children to death by suicide.

Role of the Psychiatric Nurse in Improving the Psychosocial Health of Families After Suicide

Suicide is defined as death that occurs as a result of deliberate self-harming behavior with the intention of ending one's life. Each suicide has many physical, economic and psychological short and long-term effects on the individual, family, friends and society. The death of an individual as a result of suicide creates a traumatic effect for family members and causes family members to experience various psychosocial problems. For this reason, it is very important to focus on the consequences of suicide in family members who have lost due to suicide, to evaluate the family's reactions to suicide, and to provide the needed psychosocial support. In this context, in this review, it is aimed to review the literature on the psychosocial problems experienced by families who have lost due to suicide and to present up-to-date information on the role of psychiatric nurse in improving the psychosocial health status of families.

Longitudinal Changes in Suicide Bereavement Experiences: A Qualitative Study of Family Members over 18 Months after Loss

Family members bereaved by their loved ones' suicidal death normally undergo a complicated and lengthy bereavement process. In this qualitative case study, we explored longitudinal changes in the suicide bereavement process by applying assimilation analysis, based on the Assimilation Model (AM) and the Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Scale (APES), to longitudinal interview data collected from two Chinese suicide-bereaved individuals within the first 18 months after their loss. The results showed that over time the participants both progressed in adapting to their traumatic losses. Assimilation analysis both effectively elaborated the difference in the inner world of the bereaved and clearly demonstrated development in their adaptation to the loss. This study contributes new knowledge on the longitudinal changes in suicide bereavement experiences and demonstrates the applicability of assimilation analysis to suicide bereavement research. Professional help and resources need to be tailored and adapted to meet the changing needs of suicide-bereaved family members.

Scoping review protocol to map studies on self-healing practices for suicide loss survivors

INTRODUCTION

Suicide loss survivors often find it challenging to access professional help due to social stigma despite being at a higher risk of developing suicidal behaviour and mental health problems. Most available grief interventions are professional-led and heavily rely on help-seeking behaviour. Self-healing is a growing alternative intervention that is still relatively under-researched for suicide-bereaved individuals. This scoping review aims to determine the extent to which self-healing research has been undertaken, how well all subpopulations and geographical areas are represented, the methodologies used and outcomes associated with self-healing practices in suicide-related grief. The research gap in this area will be highlighted to inform future study direction.

METHOD AND ANALYSIS

The proposed review will be guided by the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley in 2015. Articles will be retrieved from CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Peer-reviewed publications that provide data on self-healing practices within the context of suicide loss survivors will be included. The research team will screen the retrieved articles through a two-step screening process: (1) Title and abstract screening and (2) full-text screening. The reporting of the scoping review will be done following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews guideline.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study does not require ethical approval because it will synthesise information from available publications. Results of this scoping review will be submitted for publication to a peer-reviewed journal and potentially be presented at relevant conferences.

Angels of Courage: The Experiences of Mothers Who Have Been Bereaved by Suicide

Despite the increasing number of people being bereaved by suicide, little is understood concerning the experiences of those bereaved by suicide as they struggle to make sense of a loved one's death. The current study explored the experiences of four mothers who had been bereaved by suicide and the role of support groups in the meaning-making process following bereavement by suicide. Participants were interviewed and transcribed interviews were then analysed from an interpretative phenomenological perspective. Four main themes were identified: Continuing role of the mother; A never-ending quest; Finding sanctuary; and Rising up from the ashes. These themes relate to a range of emotions following bereavement by suicide, the meaning-making process, the social context and the role of the support group. Clinical implications are discussed in relation to these findings.

Experiences of suicide bereavement: a qualitative study exploring the role of the GP

BACKGROUND

Suicide is a major public health issue. GPs are often on the front line in responding to a suicide. They are called on to support individuals and families in the aftermath of suicide yet there is a dearth of research, particularly from patients' perspectives, on how to provide optimal care for those grieving a suicide in the primary care setting.

AIM

To improve GP management of suicide bereavement by exploring the lived experiences of affected individuals, focusing on the GP's involvement in the grief process.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A qualitative approach was adopted using focus group interviews with individuals from suicide bereavement support groups at three locations across Ireland.

METHOD

Support groups were contacted by letter. Fifteen interested participants formed three focus groups. Interviews were audiorecorded and transcripts were analysed thematically using the framework method.

RESULTS

Three major themes dominated: the need for acknowledgement - of the loss and of the lived life of the deceased; the role of stigma in the aftermath of the loss; and the need for proactive provision of direction and support during the grief journey. The GP was identified as ideally positioned in the community to cater for the needs of the bereaved.

CONCLUSION

Suicide can result in prolonged, complex grief generating specific patient needs. Stigma may function as a barrier to help seeking. The GP should consider initiating contact with the bereaved. Recommendations have been made to support GPs in their care of the suicide bereaved.

A Qualitative Systematic Review of the Bereavement Process Following Suicide

Despite the fact that a large number of people are bereaved by suicide each year, the experiences of those bereaved by suicide are poorly understood. It has been suggested that a contributing factor in relation to this lack of understanding has been the use of quantitative methods, which may not be sensitive to the bereavement process and its thematic content. Therefore, the current article outlines a systematic review of 11 qualitative studies that address issues related to the bereavement process following suicide. The results indicate that those bereaved by suicide encounter a range of difficult feelings following suicide including blame, guilt, and emptiness and that these feelings are affected by participants’ ability to make meaning of the event. The meaning-making process is a complex one that occurs within a difficult social context in which both those bereaved by suicide and members of the wider community struggle to interact with each other in a beneficial way. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Beliefs, suffering, and healing: a clinical practice model for families experiencing mental illness

PURPOSE

Mental illness often changes families' lives and relationships forever. A Family Systems Nursing framework is proposed for working collaboratively with families.

CONCLUSIONS

The Illness Beliefs Model (Wright & Bell, 2009) offers clinicians ways to target illness beliefs that may perpetuate or, alternatively, soften suffering.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

We have learned from families that it is often not the family member with the illness who is suffering most, but rather, other family members. The complexity of "relational suffering" challenges mental health nurses to acquire knowledge and skills to work with families to soften physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual suffering.