Helpful and unhelpful responses after suicide: Experiences of bereaved family members
Abstract
Individuals who are bereaved by suicide and other traumatic natured deaths are thought to be at greater risk of psychological complications, than people bereaved by other means. While it is recognized that interventions can influence the bereavement process, there remains limited communications about both helpful responses and those that may adversely influence the grieving process for the suicide bereaved. This paper presents findings from a narrative study, which sought the experiences of family members after the loss of a loved one as a result of suicide. The study findings demonstrated that responses by agencies are often insensitive and not aligned with the needs of those bereaved. We argue that training is paramount for all services to increase awareness of the needs of people bereaved by suicide and available support services. Changes to organizational policies in relation to finance support would greatly support the bereaved during their time of grief and heightened distress.
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Qualitative findings from Britain, Australia, and African-American communities identify stigma as a significant barrier to accessing appropriate support after suicide bereavement.
“Qualitative findings from Britain [31], Australia [22,32] and African-American communities [33] further identify stigma as a significant barrier to accessing appropriate support after suicide bereavement.”
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 [32]
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“Qualitative findings from Britain [31], Australia [22,32] and African-American communities [33] further identify stigma as a significant barrier to accessing appropriate support after suicide bereavement.”
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- Authors
- Peters, K., Cunningham, C., Murphy, G., & Jackson, D.
- Affiliations
- Western Sydney University (AU)
- Thomas Embling Hospital (AU)
- Oxford Brookes University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Peters, Kath
- Venue
- International Journal of Mental Health Nursing
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2016-04
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 418-425
- ISSN
- 1445-8330 (ISSN-L)
- 1447-0349
- OpenAlex
- W2327239337
- Cited by
- 62
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 7
- FWCI
- 5.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Mental Health Nursing (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- EPubDev Repository (submittedVersion)
- OPUS - Open Publications of UTS Scholars (University of Technology Sydney) (submittedVersion)
- RUNE (Research UNE) (submittedVersion)
- Radar (Oxford Brookes University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Foundation of Hope for Research and Treatment of Mental Illness
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Keywords
- suicide bereavement, bereaved families, grief, support services, organizational policy, employee training, financial support, traumatic death, bereavement interventions
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Bereavement, Family, Female, Health Services Needs and Demand, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Mental Health Services, Social Support, Suicide
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