Carers’ Motivations for, and Experiences of, Participating in Suicide Research

Myfanwy Maple, Sarah Wayland, Rebecca Sanford, Ailbhe Spillane and Sarah Coker
Additional contact information
Myfanwy Maple: School of Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
Sarah Wayland: School of Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
Rebecca Sanford: School of Social Work and Human Service, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC V2C 0C8, Canada
Ailbhe Spillane: National Suicide Research Foundation, Western Gateway Building, Western Road, Cork T12 XF62, Ireland
Sarah Coker: Formerly SANE Australia, South Melbourne, VIC 3205, Australia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: (1) Background: First-hand accounts of lived experience of suicide remain rare in the research literature. Increasing interest in the lived experience of suicide is resulting in more opportunities for people to participate in research based on their personal experience. How individuals choose to participate in research, and their experience of doing so, are important considerations in the ethical conduct of research. (2) Methods: To understand the experience of providing care for someone who has previously attempted suicide, a cross-sectional online community survey was conducted. This survey concluded with questions regarding motivation to participate and the experience of doing so. Of the 758 individuals who participated in the survey, 545 provided open-ended text responses to questions regarding motivation and 523 did so for questions regarding the experience of participating. It is these responses that are the focus of this paper. Data were analysed thematically. (3) Results: Motivations to participate were expressed as primarily altruistic in nature, with a future focus on improving the experience of the person who had attempted suicide alongside carers to ease distress. The experience of participating was difficult yet manageable, for all but a few participants. (4) Conclusions: With the increasing interest in first-hand accounts of suicide, how individuals experience participation in research is an important focus that requires further attention.

Keywords: suicide attempt; carers; lived experience; research participation; ethical research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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