Sense-Making in Suicide Survivorship: A Qualitative Study of the Effect of Grief Support Group Participation

Abstract

The death of a family member or close friend to suicide is a devastating life event. While research has suggested that suicide survivors may benefit from participation in support groups, little has been done to identify those elements of the experience of suicide survivorship that are impacted by grief support groups. This phenomenological inquiry of suicide survivors' experience explored the impact of group participation on changes in self-reported grief distress and the participants' process of finding meaning in the loss. Four themes were elucidated: attribution of suicide causation, personal impact and response, wanting to die/wanting to live, and ways of coping. These themes were examined in the context of group support, interaction with others, personal/spiritual awareness, and meaning-making.

Acknowledgments

The author expresses appreciation to the Ben B. and Iris M. Margolis Foundation for support in this study.

Notes

By way of clarification, family and close friends of people who have committed suicide are referred to as “survivors of suicide,” and this term is uniquely limited to this context. Persons who have attempted suicide and survived the attempt are referred to as “attempters”; those who have accomplished suicide are referred to as “completers.”

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Katherine P. Supiano

Katherine P. Supiano is an assistant professor (clinical) and director of Caring Connections: A Hope and Comfort in Grief Program, College of Nursing, University of Utah. She has been a practicing clinical social worker and psychotherapist for over 30 years. Her clinical practice has included care of older adults with depression and multiple chronic health concerns, family therapy, end-of-life care, and bereavement care.