The Psychological and Social Experience of Suicide Survivors

Abstract

This article discusses findings of an exploratory study of the psychological and social experience of suicide survivors. Detailed interviews were conducted with twenty-four people who had lost loved ones to suicide within the last five years. The study focuses on neglected dimensions of the adjustment problems of survivors by investigating the perceptions, thoughts, and feelings of survivors themselves over a broad range of questions. Major areas of concern are: 1) survivors' responses to the suicide, specifically patterns of explanation and blaming; 2) the impasse in interpersonal relations; 3) the dynamics of stigma, normlessness, and fear in survivors' contacts with others; and 4) negative and positive personal changes occurring in survivors as a result of their loss. Our findings suggest that survivors face complex problems of emotional, personal, and social adjustment requiring further attention by researchers and helping professionals.