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Creation of a Death by Suicide
Sharon Mallon1, Nicky Stanley2
1<location>The Open University, Faculty of Health and Social Care, Milton Keynes, UK</location>
Crisis
|January 14, 2015
Summary
Young adults often determine a friend's death as suicide by examining their final actions, similar to coroners. This process helps bereaved individuals understand the suicide and cope with their loss.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Bereavement Studies
Background:
- Suicide research recognizes the coroner's verdict is negotiated.
- Little attention has been given to how bereaved individuals determine a death as suicide.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how young adults conceptualize their friends' deaths as suicides.
- To understand the meaning-making process in suicide bereavement.
Main Methods:
- In-depth interviews with 12 young adults bereaved by apparent suicide.
- Interpretative phenomenological analysis of interview data.
Main Results:
- Few participants attended inquests or valued the coroner's verdict.
- Participants used coroner-like processes to interpret final actions and determine suicidal intent.
- Meaning-making was crucial for understanding the friend's death.
Conclusions:
- Young adults' understanding of suicide is a negotiated process.
- Findings enhance comprehension of suicide's impact on the bereaved.
- Insights can inform support strategies for those grieving suicide.