The experiences and support needs of Turkish individuals bereaved by suicide: An online qualitative investigation

Abstract

Suicide is a public health issue that impacts an average of six family members and up to 135 community members. Persons bereaved by suicide may feel guilt, stigma, shame, and rejection. In Türkiye, suicide survivors may face additional challenges due to Islamic taboos and sanctions placed on suicide. This study explores the experiences and support needs of Turkish suicide survivors through an online survey. Using NVivo software for thematic analysis, we examined responses from 73 participants and identified three predominant themes: (1) the impact of suicide, (2) support experiences and perceptions, and (3) recommendations for appropriate support provision. Each theme contained several subthemes. Our findings indicated a lack of available services and an unmet need for support.

Authors’ contributions

Conceptualization, M.E.; Methodology, M.E. and A.K.; Writing – Review & Editing: M.E., A.K., and H.A.R.; Writing - Original Draft: A.K., H.A.R, E.E., E.S., E.Y., G.S., L.K., and Y.G.; Formal Analysis, A.K., H.A.R., E.E., E.S., E.Y., G.S., L.K., and Y.G.; Data Curation, M.E. A.K., and H.A.R.; Data Collection, A.K., H.A.R., M. E., E.E., E.S., E.Y., G.S., L.K., and Y.G.; Project Administration, A.K.; Supervision, M.E. Except for the first, second and the last authors, the authors are listed in alphabetical (first name) order. All authors approved the final draft.

Disclosure statement

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

Data accessibility statement

The data is available upon a reasonable request from the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.