Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, UCL, London, United Kingdom.
Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2023 Aug 17;18(8):e0284897. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284897. eCollection 2023.
Each year an estimated 48 million people are bereaved by suicide internationally. Following traumatic events, experiencing intrusive mental imagery relating to the trauma is not uncommon. This phenomenological study aimed to explore the nature, experience and impact of intrusive mental imagery after suicide bereavement.
Semi-structured interview transcripts with 18 adults bereaved by the suicide of a close contact were analysed using thematic analysis to explore patterns and themes within the data, with particular consideration of the content of images, how people experience and relate to the imagery, and the impact that the imagery has on the bereaved.
Thematic analysis identified common characteristics in the experience of intrusive mental imagery following suicide loss, summarised under two main themes capturing: 1) the descriptive characteristics and 2) the emotional experience of intrusive mental imagery following suicide loss. The majority of participants found the experience of intrusive imagery distressing, but most also described positive aspects, including help in making sense of the death and retaining memories of the deceased.
Findings inform our understanding of the distressing experience of intrusive imagery after suicide loss, also revealing perceived value in processing the death.
全球每年约有 4800 万人因自杀而失去亲人。在创伤性事件后，经历与创伤有关的侵入性心理意象并不罕见。这项现象学研究旨在探讨自杀丧亲后侵入性心理意象的性质、体验和影响。
对 18 名因亲密接触自杀而丧亲的成年人进行半结构化访谈记录的分析，使用主题分析方法来探讨数据中的模式和主题，特别考虑到意象的内容、人们如何体验和与意象相关联，以及意象对丧亲者的影响。
主题分析确定了自杀丧失后侵入性心理意象体验的共同特征，总结为两个主要主题：1）描述性特征和 2）自杀丧失后侵入性心理意象的情绪体验。大多数参与者发现侵入性意象的体验令人痛苦，但大多数人也描述了积极的方面，包括帮助理解死亡和保留对死者的记忆。
研究结果为我们理解自杀丧失后侵入性意象的痛苦体验提供了信息，也揭示了处理死亡的感知价值。
