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A systematic review of the mental health impact of losing a friend or sibling to suicide and An empirical study developing co-produced postvention guidelines for bereaved friends and siblings

Rook, Sarah 2022. A systematic review of the mental health impact of losing a friend or sibling to suicide and An empirical study developing co-produced postvention guidelines for bereaved friends and siblings. ClinPsy Thesis, Cardiff University.
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Abstract

Sadly, it is relatively common for young people to experience the death of a peer or sibling by suicide. Bereavement by suicide can have serious and enduring negative impacts on the mental health of young people. Most worryingly, studies have suggested that some young people exposed to suicide may be more likely to engage in suicidal behaviour themselves. Other adverse mental health outcomes following exposure to suicide documented in the literature include depression and anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The systematic review section of this thesis investigated the impact of exposure to a peer or sibling’s suicide on the mental health and suicidal behaviours of young people. The literature search identified 20 relevant studies. Seventeen of these studies related to peers/friends, whereas only three focused on siblings. The methodological quality and outcomes of these papers were closely examined and synthesised. The results suggested that young people who lose a peer to suicide experience depression and anxiety, suicidal behaviour, and PTSD. They may also be at increased risk of suicide attempts; however, this is less clear. Only PTSD appeared to persist over time. Importantly, the review only included five studies that looked at the long-term impacts of exposure to suicide on peers, therefore these results should be interpreted cautiously. Of the three studies that reported on the impact of suicide bereavement on siblings, results indicated that they experienced anxiety and depression following the loss, however this result was no longer evident 3 years later. Findings regarding PTSD were mixed. There was no evidence that exposure to sibling suicide increased risk of suicidal behaviour and attempt or substance misuse. Only one study looked at the long-term impact on siblings. Results suggested that there was no increased risk of mental health problems in exposed siblings the long-term. However, the small number of studies included in this review as well as their methodological limitations, mean that no firm conclusions can be drawn. More research is needed to gain a clearer understanding on the impact of suicide bereavement on young people, particularly siblings. Such research will provide important information regarding how best to provide postvention for this population. The term postvention is defined as “those activities developed by, with, or for suicide survivors, in order to facilitate recovery after suicide, and to prevent adverse outcomes including suicidal behavior” (Andriessen et al., 2009, p. 43). The results of this review illustrated the importance of postvention for this population, particularly in the short-term. Future studies should investigate what risk factors may be associated with more negative outcomes. Post-traumatic growth refers to the concept of experiencing a positive psychological change following exposure to a traumatic situation.Future research into protective factors that facilitate post-traumatic growth following suicide bereavement should also be explored. The empirical portion of this thesis involved working in partnership with The Mindstep Foundation and The Jacob Abraham Foundation to develop postvention guidelines for young people who experience the suicide of a sibling or peer. Postvention in this instancerefers to providing support to young people following bereavement by suicide. This entailed interviewing young people bereaved by suicide (friends and siblings) and their parents for their opinions about what kind of support they felt would be helpful. The views of professionals in the field of young people’s mental health and suicide postvention were also included through use of an online questionnaire. A thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006; 2019) was conducted on the qualitative data gained from the interviews and questionnaires. The analysis generated themes and sub-themes that were used to create statements about what kind of postvention support might be helpful for young people. All of the participants were asked to complete the second questionnaire by rating how much they agreed with each statement. Of 80 statements, 77 achieved consensus (80% agreement). The statements that participants agreed were important will be used to co-produce guidelines regarding how to best support siblings and peers of young people who die by suicide. These guidelines could be used by professionals (e.g., teachers, mental health workers), caregivers and even young people themselves.

Item Type: Thesis (DClinPsy)
Date Type: Completion
Status: Unpublished
Schools: Psychology
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 11 January 2023
Last Modified: 10 Feb 2024 02:14
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/155624

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