Bereaved siblings’ stories of drug-related death

Abstract

Background Deaths caused by problematic substance use are an international concern. In bereavement, meaning-making is an essential activity embedded in social and cultural contexts. There is a lack of knowledge about how sociocultural perceptions and stigma associated with problematic substance use and drug-related deaths influence how bereaved siblings give meaning to the loss of their loved ones. Methods This article investigates bereaved siblings’ meaning-making stories about the drug-related death of their brother or sister. The study involves in-depth interviews with 14 bereaved siblings, analysed via a discursive psychologic perspective. Results Participants used four groups of sense-making stories about drug-related deaths: ‘death as the only outcome,’ ‘death caused by difficulties in the family,’ ‘death caused by lack of public help’, and ‘stories of uncertainty and doubt.’ Conclusion By identifying culturally constructed storylines used by participants about their siblings’ deaths, positionings of blame and responsibility are displayed, leading to social consequences that may affect how siblings bereaved by drug-related deaths cope with their loss and adapt to life without their brother or sister.