Suicidal Ideation and Distress in Family Members Bereaved by Suicide in Portugal

Experiencing suicide in the family: from mourning to the quest for overcoming

“…How survivors will respond to the changes that come with suicide in their family environment will be paramount for healthy adaptation and recovery. In line with the results of the present study, a study carried out in Portugal also showed that the family member suffers from the loss of a loved one by suicide, with a high probability of developing disorders such as general suffering, depression, anxiety and hostility, leading to also develop ideation and risk for committing suicide (18) . Sometimes family members do not establish a direct relationship between the loss and the appearance of symptoms in one of their members, either by denial of the act, by the diversity of the feelings involved and the fragile approach related to the theme (19) .…”

“…In an attempt to overcome and rebuild themselves amidst the difficulties and conflicts arising from suicide, family members seek psychological support and the help of professionals to better cope with these conflicting situations, as evidenced in the results of the present research. In the treatment of family members who are victims of suicide, it is necessary to welcome the bereaved, directing the work forces to the impact of the situation, respecting their uniqueness and adopting the practice of open and sincere communication, so that all bereaved can give meaning to their loss and can continue with their lives (6,18) . In this same line of thought, American researchers point out that listening to the anguish and feelings of the bereaved family contributes to the treatment and recovery of their mental health (21) .…”

Exposure to suicide in the family: Suicide risk and psychache in individuals who have lost a family member by suicide

“…No significant group differences were found for distress, as assessed by the PSDI index of the BSI. Previous studies with Portuguese individuals exposed to suicide (Santos, Campos et al, ; Santos, Tavares et al., ) did demonstrate the presence of significant levels of distress and also found that persons exposed to suicide in the family significantly differed from a control group with regard to general distress. However, in those studies, research participants were older and less educated than in the present sample, and these variations may have contributed to the higher levels of distress.…”

“…In Portugal, only a few studies have examined the impact of a suicide on surviving family members’ distress and suicide risk (Santos, Campos, & Tavares, ; Santos, Tavares, & Campos, ). Two samples were involved in these studies.…”

“…Specific indicators of suicidality were also used: lifetime suicide ideation and suicide attempts, suicide ideation in the previous year, and lifetime communication of suicide intention and “future probability” of suicide. Given that previous studies in Portugal (Santos, Campos, et al., ; Santos, Tavares, et al., ) have found a relationship between distress and having been exposed to suicide within the family, and to control for the possibility that differences between suicide exposed and nonexposed individuals’ reports of lifetime suicide risk are due to higher levels of distress in exposed individuals, a distress variable was also considered in the present study.…”