A phenomenological enquiry into the impact of bereavement by suicide over the life course

Abstract

ABSTRACT Suicide can negatively impact the lives of bereaved individuals. Quantitative research implemented to study this impact has produced findings based upon a limited exploration of the phenomena, with a focus on acute grief and symptomology. This narrow focus, alongside the methodological issues apparent in suicide bereavement research, has prompted the current study to explore from a phenomenological perspective, the impact of suicide bereavement over the life course for eight participants. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the data gathered from semi-structured interviews. A notable finding was the defensive processes employed to help keep grief away, which resulted in grief becoming burdensome for many decades. Another key finding was that bereavement by suicide shattered the assumptive world of suicide-loss-survivors, by impacting on their relationships with themselves and others. The role of subsequent life events and secondary losses and gains from the bereavement also impacted on participants in the longer-term. This study concludes firstly that for participants, the longevity of the impact from suicide bereavement mirrored the number of years bereaved; and secondly, this impact reflects suicide bereavement in the longer-term as a non-linear, oscillating and evolving process. Clinical and research implications are discussed.