Abstract
Objective: Although suicidologists have devoted great interest toward the importance of suicide notes, scant attention has been paid to their impact upon the suicide bereaved. Method: To address this issue we conducted on an online survey querying 146 mostly American suicide bereaved adults who indicated severe emotional distress after their losses, 80% of whom had lost first degree-relatives. Results: We found no significant differences in mental health outcomes between those who received suicide notes and those who had not; nor were differences noted between those whose notes contained helpful or unhelpful information and those who had not received such information. Conclusion: We also observed poorer mental health outcomes among the suicide bereaved who expected to receive a suicide note after their loved one died—and did not receive any communication– indicating needs for clinical support among this vulnerable subgroup.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 859-867 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2018 The American Association of Suicidology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Psychiatry and Mental health