Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, Australia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 1;19(1):452. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010452.
There are concerns that involving adolescents bereaved by suicide and other traumatic death in research may cause distress and harm. However, no study has investigated such bereaved adolescents' research experiences. In addition, no study has looked at the experiences of parents and clinicians as participants in adolescent suicide and traumatic death bereavement research. This study aimed to explore the short-term impact of research participation experienced by adolescents, parents, and clinicians. A total of 61 participants (adolescents, = 17; parents, = 12; clinicians, = 32) filled out a short survey within two weeks of having taken part in a qualitative interview study. Data were analyzed descriptively. Most participants had experienced no distress while participating and no negative effects of participating; rather, participation was experienced as helpful for them and they would highly recommend participating in a study like this to others. A few adolescents and parents reported some distress, related to anxiety about participation and the unpleasantness of grief memories. The study clearly indicates that bereaved adolescents, parents and clinicians can safely participate in research interviews regarding their experiences of grief and help after suicide, generally valuing the opportunity to share their experience. To prevent and mitigate potential distress, training of research staff and implementation of appropriate participant distress protocols are imperative. Future studies could include longitudinal follow-up of participants to assess any longer-term consequences.
有人担心让自杀和其他创伤性死亡的丧亲青少年参与研究可能会引起痛苦和伤害。然而，尚无研究调查过这些丧亲青少年的研究经历。此外，也没有研究关注过作为青少年自杀和创伤性死亡丧亲研究参与者的父母和临床医生的经历。本研究旨在探讨青少年、父母和临床医生参与研究的短期影响。共有 61 名参与者（青少年 n=17；父母 n=12；临床医生 n=32）在参与定性访谈研究两周内填写了一份简短的调查问卷。数据进行了描述性分析。大多数参与者在参与过程中没有感到痛苦，也没有参与的负面影响；相反，他们认为参与是有帮助的，会强烈推荐其他人参与这样的研究。少数青少年和父母报告了一些困扰，与对参与的焦虑和悲伤记忆的不愉快有关。该研究清楚地表明，丧亲的青少年、父母和临床医生可以安全地参与关于他们在自杀后的悲伤和帮助的研究访谈，他们普遍重视分享自己经历的机会。为了预防和减轻潜在的痛苦，必须对研究人员进行培训，并实施适当的参与者痛苦协议。未来的研究可以包括对参与者进行纵向随访，以评估任何长期后果。
