Abstract
Wider networks of people are affected by a suicide death than originally thought, including those whose job-role brings them into contact with a death by suicide of another person. The impact of student suicide within United Kingdom (UK) Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is unexplored and the experiences of staff members remain unknown. It is not known whether staff members have specific postvention needs following a student death by suicide. Any postvention support currently offered to staff members within UK HEIs lacks a context-specific evidence base. This study asked ‘How is a student suicide experienced by staff members within a UK HEI and what are the features of that experience?’ Staff members from diverse job-roles in two UK HEIs responded to a qualitative survey (n = 19) and participated in semi-structured interviews (n = 10). Data were transcribed and subjected to a constructivist grounded theory analysis. Participants’ experiences informed the development of a core category: ’Bearing witness’, which encompassed six further categories: ’Responding to a student suicide’; ’Experiencing a student suicide’; ’Needs and fears’; ’Experiences of support’; ’Human stories’; and ’Cultural stories’. The resulting grounded theory demonstrates how participants’ perceptions of impact are informed by their experiences of undertaking tasks following a student suicide within the community of their HEI. Processes of constructing perceptions of closeness to the student who died are evident amongst participants who did not know the student prior to their death. Tailored postvention support is required to respond to the range and complexity of HEI staff needs following a student death by suicide.
Highlights
MethodsData were collected by mixed methods, utilising an electronic survey and semi-structured interviews
There were an estimated 793 000 suicide deaths worldwide in 2016, indicating an annual global age-standardised suicide rate of 10.5 per 100 000 population [1]
This study describes previously unexplored experiences of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) staff members following a student death by suicide
Summary
Data were collected by mixed methods, utilising an electronic survey and semi-structured interviews. Given that there is a death of literature addressing this topic, an inductive, exploratory approach was appropriate. A qualitative approach was selected for this study in order to explore the experiences, perceptions and meaning-making processes of the participants. Open text e-survey data and interview data were subject to a constructivist grounded theory analysis [41]. Grounded theory was suited to this previously unresearched population as it is a theory generating method that provides findings that translate helpfully into policy or practice guidance [41].
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