Barnard Leslie M, Leavitt Colton, Spark Talia L, Leary Jacob B, Wallace Erik A
Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA.
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
Inj Epidemiol. 2022 Dec 12;9(1):45. doi: 10.1186/s40621-022-00408-3.
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, with over half of cases involving firearms. Despite research indicating negative effects of exposure to suicide, there is little research on who typically finds the body of the suicide decedent. Understanding who finds the body of the suicide decedent may be important to understand trauma and mental health effects.
Of the 332 people who died by suicide in El Paso County, Colorado, 182 (55%) used firearms. Those who died by firearm suicide were more likely to be male (83.5% vs. 67.3%) have military affiliation (39.0% vs. 19.3%) and were less likely to have a known mental health diagnosis (47.3% vs. 64.7%) compared to those who died from other means. Most suicide decedents were found by a family member or friend (60.2%). The remaining decedents were found by a stranger/acquaintance (21.0%) or a first responder (22.4%) One-fifth of suicides involved forced witnessing (19%) and the majority were already deceased when the body was discovered (73.2%).
While most suicide decedents are discovered by a family member or a friend, it is unknown what the bereavement and trauma-related outcomes are among people who discover a suicide decedent who has died by violent means, especially by firearms. Further studies exploring who discovers suicide decedents and targeted postvention strategies for supporting impacted family, friends, first responders, and strangers are needed.
自杀是美国第十大死因，超过半数的自杀案例涉及枪支。尽管研究表明接触自杀事件会产生负面影响，但对于通常是谁发现自杀者遗体这一问题，相关研究却很少。了解谁发现自杀者的遗体对于理解创伤和心理健康影响可能很重要。
在科罗拉多州埃尔帕索县332名自杀身亡的人中，182人（55%）使用了枪支。与通过其他方式自杀的人相比，死于枪击自杀的人更可能为男性（83.5%对67.3%）、有军事背景（39.0%对19.3%），且较不可能有已知的心理健康诊断（47.3%对64.7%）。大多数自杀者的遗体是由家庭成员或朋友发现的（60.2%）。其余死者的遗体由陌生人/熟人（21.0%）或急救人员（22.4%）发现。五分之一的自杀事件涉及被迫目睹（19%），且在发现遗体时，大多数自杀者已经死亡（73.2%）。
虽然大多数自杀者的遗体是由家庭成员或朋友发现的，但对于发现暴力手段尤其是枪击致死的自杀者遗体的人，其丧亲之痛和创伤相关后果尚不清楚。需要进一步研究探索谁会发现自杀者遗体，并制定有针对性的善后策略来支持受影响的家人、朋友、急救人员和陌生人。
