Systematic Literature Review of Attempted Suicide and Offspring

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Public Health
• Mental Health Services

Background:

• Parental suicide attempts are linked to adverse outcomes in children, including poor academic performance and behavioral issues.
• Hospitalization after a suicide attempt offers a critical window to identify at-risk children and initiate support.
• Existing research on interventions for children exposed to parental suicide attempts is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the existing literature on follow-up measures for children affected by parental suicide attempts.
• To identify current practices and gaps in care for children of parents who have attempted suicide.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
• Screening of 1275 article titles and full-text review of 72 papers.
• Inclusion of four relevant articles, three from a single study on a monitoring protocol.

Main Results:

• Only four studies met the inclusion criteria, indicating a significant research gap.
• One study detailed a protocol for monitoring and referring children of parents who attempted suicide.
• Another study examined the association between maternal suicide attempts and child abuse or neglect.

Conclusions:

• There is a striking lack of research concerning the well-being of children whose parents have attempted suicide.
• The findings underscore the necessity for developing and implementing appropriate familial care strategies.
• Further research is crucial to establish effective interventions and support systems for these children.