Exploring the Formal Supports Used by People Bereaved Through Suicide: A Qualitative Study
Abstract
Approximately seven Australians take their own lives every day (Mendoza & Rosenberg, 2010), which means that thousands of survivors will require support for their unique grief each year. This study seeks to better understand the personal lived experiences of people bereaved by suicide by exploring their use of formal supports and identifying any unmet needs. In this phenomenological study, 14 individuals bereaved by suicide were interviewed. Thematic analysis of the data identified two major themes supports in the immediate aftermath and ongoing supports. Survivors were inconsistently connected with service providers or provided with information regarding available services. The response of first responders and other professionals influenced the bereavement journey for suicide survivors, and the participants’ lived experience ranged from compassionate to cold. Continuing study into postvention is critical to ensure that available supports can meet the needs of those grieving after a suicide. Such efforts may help avert complications associated with the suicide of a loved one.
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Our findings regarding the need for others to initiate support are similar to those from Australian, Danish, and British focus group work.
“Our findings regarding the need for others to initiate support are similar to those from Australian [22,40] and Danish qualitative work [41] and our previously published British focus group discussion [42].”
From Support Needs and Experiences of People Bereaved by Suicide: Qualitative Findings from a Cross-Sectional British Study of Bereaved Young Adults (2018) · cites this paper as [40]
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- Authors
- McKinnon, J. M., & Chonody, J.
- Affiliations
- University of South Australia (AU)
- Indiana University Northwest (US)
- Corresponding author
- McKinnon, Janette M.
- ORCID
- Chonody, Jill
- Venue
- Social Work in Mental Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2014-04-24
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 231-248
- ISSN
- 1533-2985 (ISSN-L)
- 1533-2993
- OpenAlex
- W2033348696
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 2
- FWCI
- 5.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Social Work in Mental Health (publishedVersion)
- UniSA Research Outputs Repository (University of South Australia) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Keywords
- suicide bereavement, suicide survivors, grief, formal support services, postvention, unmet needs, lived experience, access to services
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