How the Internet is changing the experience of bereavement by suicide: A qualitative study in the UK

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how Internet support may be changing the experiences of people who have been bereaved by suicide. Forty narrative interviews about the (whole) experience of being bereaved by suicide were conducted with a maximum variation sample of people living in the UK. Interviews were transcribed for thematic analysis. The analysis explores several ways in which the Internet has made a difference to the aftermath of the death. These include the use of e-mail and social networking sites to inform others about the death, making sense of the events and gaining support from an Internet community of others who had been similarly bereaved and setting up website memorials. A few people preferred not to use the Internet for this purpose or had no access to a computer. Few adverse consequences of Internet communities were mentioned. In conclusion we found evidence that the Internet is transforming the experience of bereavement by suicide, most dramatically through providing access to other people's experiences.

The Usage of Digital Resources by Swedish Suicide Bereaved in Their Grief Work: A Survey Study

“…Women were also more likely than men to be members of online support groups, and they were also more active in their use (cf. Chapple & Ziebland, 2011;Feigelman et al, 2008;Oliveri, 2003). It has been argued that different grieving patterns exist for men and women, for example, that women are in general more emotionally expressive and that they to a higher degree socialize with others in their grief compared with men (e.g., Doka & Martin, 2010).…”

Latent profiles of physical and psychological outcomes of bereaved parents in China who lost their only child

“…In addition, community institutions, self-help groups and non-profit organizations provide a space for bereaved parents to share their loss experience and look for comfort, and thus help the bereaved parents recover (Cacciatore, 2010; Pan, Liu, Li, & Kwok, 2016). Online self-help groups provide a space for bereaved people to share their emotions with people who have also lost their loved ones, and to acquire some knowledge on how to cope with grief (Chapple & Ziebland, 2011; Liu, 2014; Swartwood, Veach, Kuhne, Lee, & Ji, 2011). In China, offline support groups organize activities for bereaved parents and provide support when needed (Fang, 2013), and community institutions provide material and emotional support to this population, such as organizing get-togethers on holidays, visiting bereaved parents or providing practical help when needed.…”

Continuing social presence of the dead: exploring suicide bereavement through online memorialisation

“…A qualitative interpretive approach was taken, combining constant comparison with thematic analysis (Chapple & Ziebland, 2011;Glaser & Strauss, 1967;Green & Thorogood, 2004).…”

“…Valentine (2009) argues that grieving is a discursive activity which involves creative interplay between society's structures and individual agency. The Internet has emerged as a valuable outreach tool for the stigmatised bereaved, enabling them to overcome isolation and find others in a similar position to themselves in order to share memories and experiences, find support and make sense of the events (Chapple & Ziebland, 2011;Finlay & Krueger, 2011).…”

“…Krysinska and Andriessen (2010) examined the types of online support and resources available for people bereaved by suicide and reported a lack of qualitative research in this area which addressed the ways in which online resources and material helps people bereaved by suicide to grieve. Chapple and Ziebland (2011) examined the impact of the Internet on suicide bereavement by interviewing 40 suicide survivors from the UK. These authors highlighted the differing ways in which those bereaved by suicide use the Internet in general-examining email usage, use of websites to buy support books and use of online support forums and general social networking sites.…”