Factors of Seeking Professional Psychological Help by the Bereaved by Suicide

Abstract

Background: Studies show that people bereaved by suicide often feel a strong need for professional help. It is hypothesized that aspects related to suicide bereavement, such as stigmatization, shame or guilt, hinder help-seeking process of the bereaved. However, little is known about help-seeking behaviors of people who has lost someone due to suicide. Aims: This study was conducted to attain a better understanding of the contributing factors, including the specific features of grief following suicide, to help-seeking behaviors of the bereaved by suicide. Methods: The sample consisted of 82 adults bereaved by suicide (64 female; average age 37.79, SD = 14.33). Instruments assessing stigmatization, shame, guilt levels, well-being, tendency to disclose emotional distress and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help were used. The participants were also asked an open-ended question what professional help-seeking barriers they had encountered. Comparisons between the groups, logistic regression analysis and thematic analysis of the qualitative data were performed. Results: The findings revealed that bereaved participants who sought professional psychological help reported experiencing stigmatization and feeling guilty after the loss significantly more often. Also the results showed that attitudes toward mental health specialists had the highest prognostic value in predicting help-seeking behaviors of the bereaved. The participants themselves identified the gaps in the health care system as main barriers to seeking help. Conclusion: The results challenge previously spread notion that stigmatization, guilt and shame after suicide can act only as help-seeking barriers.

Use of Health Services and Support Resources by Immediate Family Members Bereaved by Suicide: A Scoping Review

“…Forty percent of the studies were published in 2019 or later [ 14 , 21 , 22 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 51 , 55 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 64 , 65 , 67 , 70 , 79 , 80 , 82 , 83 , 87 , 89 , 92 , 94 , 98 ] and more than half of the studies were from Australia ( n = 12) [ 14 , 22 , 41 , 47 , 59 , 61 , 67 , 72 , 74 , 76 , 80 , 95 ], the US ( n = 12) [ 46 , 50 , 51 , 54 , 57 , 63 , 71 , 73 , 75 , 86 , 90 , 98 ] and the UK ( n = 10) [ 52 , 53 , 64 , 65 , 68 ...…”

“…The third largest category, with nine studies, comprised postvention studies grouped together in a residual ‘postvention, other’ category. These were most often quantitative [ 45 , 47 , 55 , 56 , 59 ] or mixed [ 90 , 92 ], and two were qualitative [ 71 , 82 ]. Four of the articles were intervention studies focusing on effect [ 47 , 56 , 59 , 90 ].…”

“…Two studies focused specifically on experiences with mental health care. One study found that gaps in the healthcare system were the main barriers to seeking professional psychological help (e.g., consultation/therapy with a psychologist/psychotherapist/psychiatrist or a support group led by a professional psychologist) [ 92 ]. A characteristic of participants seeking help was reporting stigmatisation and feeling guilt; however, attitudes toward mental health specialists had the highest prognostic value in predicting help-seeking behaviours.…”

“…It is not always a clear-cut line between “professional” and “non-professional” peer support resources, or the degree of “health service” in a peer support resource. Some peer support resources are initiated by health services and led by health professionals [ 92 ], while others are driven by NGOs or user organisations with trained facilitators or counsellors [ 45 , 71 ]. Often, the origin, funding, and organisation of the peer support resource is not well described in research articles, although this can be an important contextual factor.…”

Bearing witness: A grounded theory of the experiences of staff at two United Kingdom Higher Education Institutions following a student death by suicide

“…This may in part be aligned with broader beliefs regarding mental health help-seeking. For instance, attitudes toward mental health specialists are a strong indicator of help-seeking in suicide bereaved adults [ 52 ]. Individual differences in terms of proactive traits [ 53 , 54 ] might also offer some explanation for differences in help seeking behaviours.…”