Concerns most important to parents after their child's suicide attempt: A pilot study and collaboration with a rural mental health facility

Abstract

Problem Little is known of the needs of parents after their child has made a suicide attempt. The goal of this research was to create and pilot an acceptable and effective survey for parents whose child has made a suicide attempt so that their needs and concerns are known. Method The Social‐Ecological Model was used as a framework to better understand the problem of adolescent suicide from the parent perspective. Collaboration with interdisciplinary staff at a rural mental health facility in the United States occurred to create and pilot the survey tool with content and practice experts validating the survey questions. Findings Five parents completed the pilot survey. Results showed that parents have unmet needs after their child's suicide attempt; reporting the need to ensure safety for their child and the need for understanding how to help their child. Parents stated interest in attending a focus group to discuss their needs and noted transportation and childcare being primary barriers to attending a focus group. Conclusion Results from this research will inform the planning focus groups of parents whose child has made suicide attempt.

A Systematic Review of the Experiences and Support Needs of Informal Caregivers for People Who Have Attempted Suicide or Experienced Suicidal Ideation

“…Informal caregivers who choose to seek help should have access to formal support services. These could take the form of respite care [34] or psychological counselling [21,45]. However, in certain locations, the prohibitive cost of psychological support is a further barrier to formal care [24].…”

Effectiveness of Psychosocial Interventions for Family Members and Other Informal Support Persons of Individuals Who Have Made a Suicide Attempt

“…Consequently, we did not anticipate conducting a metaanalysis and, instead, this systematic review used the narrative synthesis approach. On the basis of the literature on the psychosocial sequalae of a suicide attempt for informal carers (Hickey et al, 2019;McLaughlin et al, 2014McLaughlin et al, , 2016Wagner et al, 2000), we report findings using five categories of outcomes: (1) mental health, (2) carers' burden and distress, (3) family functioning, (4) quality of life, and (5) engagement in the intervention.…”