Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane 4000, Australia.
Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35100 Padova, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 11;18(2):564. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020564.
Limited research exists on the experiences of parents bereaved by suicide. Our earlier qualitative analysis examined the experiences of parents' suicide bereavement at 6 and 12 months after their loss. The current study aimed to extend the analysis over 24 months, outlining the key themes of parents' suicide bereavement experience. In the frames of a longitudinal study of suicide bereavement in Queensland, Australia, parents were interviewed at 6, 12, and 24 months after their loss. Thematic analysis was used to further explore new themes and three key themes identified in earlier analyses: searching for answers and sense-making, coping strategies and support, and finding meaning and purpose. Results at 24 months revealed a clearer differentiation between strategies adopted by mothers and fathers. Anger and blame had changed towards feelings of depression. A polarization was observed between parents still oscillating in brooding rumination and those who have shifted towards sense-making. The former more frequently reported depression symptoms, and the latter reported a more positive attitude towards life and acceptance of their loss. Consistent with the dual-process model, parents managed to reach acceptance after oscillating between sense-making and meaning making. Findings provide insights how suicide loss affects parents, with implications for postvention.
关于自杀丧亲父母的经历，相关研究有限。我们之前的定性分析研究了丧亲父母在失去亲人后 6 个月和 12 个月的经历。本研究旨在将分析扩展到 24 个月，概述丧亲父母经历的主要主题。在澳大利亚昆士兰州自杀丧亲的纵向研究框架内，在丧亲后的 6、12 和 24 个月对父母进行了访谈。采用主题分析进一步探讨了早期分析中确定的新主题和三个关键主题：寻找答案和意义构建、应对策略和支持、寻找意义和目标。24 个月的结果显示，母亲和父亲采用的策略之间有更明显的区别。愤怒和责备已经转变为抑郁的感觉。父母在沉思和寻找意义之间的摇摆，与那些已经从沉思转变为意义构建的父母之间存在两极分化。前者更频繁地报告抑郁症状，后者则对生活持更积极的态度，并接受他们的损失。与双重过程模型一致，父母在意义构建和接受之间来回摆动后，最终接受了丧亲事实。研究结果提供了自杀丧亲对父母的影响的见解，对后续预防有启示意义。
