Suicide Exposure and the Impact of Client Suicide: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Abstract

Objective

Client suicide, used to refer to situations where a mental health practitioner (MHP) is exposed, affected, or bereaved by a client’s suicide, is known to have a profound impact on MHPs. The current study investigated (1) the short- and long-term impact of client suicide and (2) to what extent gender, years of experience, therapeutic background, and exposure to suicidality predicted impact.

Methods

An international sample of 213 mental health practitioners completed an online survey on the impact of client suicide.

Results and Conclusion

Overall, results indicate MHPs are significantly affected by client suicide. A two-factor model in which impact of client suicide was predicted by two latent variables, MHP Characteristics and Exposure to Suicidality, explained 43% of short-term, 69% of long-term emotional, and 60% of long-term professional impact. Whereas MHP characteristics did not significantly predict any of the three impact variables (ps >.05), Exposure to Suicidality significantly predicted all three outcome variables (ps <.001). Interestingly, lived experience or exposure to suicidality of friends/family members predicted more impact, while exposure to suicidality at work predicted less impact of client suicide. Implications for both research and clinical practice are discussed.

HIGHLIGHTS

• MHPs are significantly affected by client suicide;

• Previous exposure to suicidality predicts the impact of client suicide;

• MHP characteristics do not predict the impact of client suicide.

Keywords:

• Bereavement
• client suicide
• exposure
• gender
• lived experience

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank Lilli Hahne, Lydia Mazur, Johanna Bernodusson, and Marianna Triantafyllou for their help with the data collection and Brian Godor for his help with the data analysis.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

AUTHOR NOTE

Ruth Van der Hallen, Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, 3062 PA, The Netherlands.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ruth Van der Hallen

Ruth Van der Hallen, Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, 3062 PA, The Netherlands.