“It’s a Living Experience”: Bereavement by Suicide in Later Life

Trish Hafford-Letchfield, Jeffrey Hanna, Evan Grant, Lesley Ryder-Davies, Nicola Cogan, Jolie Goodman, Susan Rasmussen and Sophie Martin
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Trish Hafford-Letchfield: School of Social Work and Social Policy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK
Jeffrey Hanna: School of Social Work and Social Policy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK
Evan Grant: School of Social Work and Social Policy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK
Lesley Ryder-Davies: School of Social Work and Social Policy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK
Nicola Cogan: School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK
Jolie Goodman: Mental Health Foundation, London SE1 9QB, UK
Susan Rasmussen: School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK
Sophie Martin: School of Social Work and Social Policy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 12, 1-14

Abstract: Bereavement by suicide for people in later life is significantly under-researched. Research on ageing and suicide has yet to address the experiences of those bereaved by suicide and how such a devastating loss affects the ageing experience. Objectives : We explored the substantive issues involved in bereavement by suicide and its impact on later life. Methods : This was a co-produced qualitative study. Peer researchers with lived experience conducted in-depth interviews with twenty-four people aged 60–92 years. A phenomenological approach informed the data analysis. Main Findings: Themes described included (1) moral injury and trauma; (2) the rippling effect on wider family and networks; (3) transitions and adaptations of bereaved people and how their ‘living experience’ impacted on ageing. Conclusions : It is important to understand how individual experiences of suicide intersect with ageing and the significance of targeted assessment and intervention for those bereaved by suicide in ageing policies and support.

Keywords: bereavement; suicide; ageing; later life; suicide prevention; moral injury; trauma; peer support (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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