Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: Suicide bereavement confers unique risk and distress. In several countries, bereaved family members are called on to attend an inquest, an official public inquiry into deaths caused by external factors. The current study aimed to explore how suicide-bereaved family members (n = 18) experienced the inquest process, through qualitative semi-structured interviews. Method: Participants were identified via coroner’s records and had previously taken part in a case-control study. Results: Qualitative findings indicated four overall themes with respect to family members’ experiences of the inquest process: “inquest as fearfully unknown”, “structural processes of the inquest”, “enduring public and private pain to obtain answers” and “gaining answers and making sense”. Most family members experienced distress and fear as a result of several elements of the inquest process. Some participants had positive experiences but these did not outweigh the distress experienced by the majority of family members regarding their overall experience of the inquest process. Conclusions: Key recommendations include informing family members of the main aspects and purpose of the inquest process beforehand, adapting the process to maximise the privacy and comfort of the bereaved relatives, and restricting graphic evidence being heard, where possible, to minimise distress experienced by family members.
Highlights
A suicide death, while an individual act, creates a “ripple effect” which profoundly impacts familial (Pitman, Osborn, King, & Erlangsen, 2014), social (Cerel, Jordan, & Duberstein, 2008) and societal networks
Key recommendations include informing family members of the main aspects and purpose of the inquest process beforehand, adapting the process to maximise the privacy and comfort of the bereaved relatives, and restricting graphic evidence being heard, where possible, to minimise distress experienced by family members
While some described the overall process as “fine”, there were a number of troubling aspects of the inquest that left family members feeling uncomfortable
Summary
A suicide death, while an individual act, creates a “ripple effect” which profoundly impacts familial (Pitman, Osborn, King, & Erlangsen, 2014), social (Cerel, Jordan, & Duberstein, 2008) and societal networks This ripple effect is best illustrated by the Circles of Vulnerability Model (Lahad & Cohen, 2004) and the Social-Ecological Model (Dahlberg & Krug, 2002). People who discover the body of a person who has died by suicide, people in close familial or social circles with the deceased, or those who felt psychologically close to the deceased represent vulnerable people to the effects of suicide bereavement (Lahad & Cohen, 2004) This model and the Social-Ecological Model each have a number of interconnecting levels which overlap to signify how factors at one level impact those at the level
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
