The “Forgotten Grievers”: The Impact of Pupil Suicide on Post-Trauma and Grief Symptoms in School Staff

Abstract

Background: The suicide of a pupil impacts survivors greatly, but most studies on the subject do not consider school staff, and do not differentiate between the various professional domains. Our aim was to investigate the existence of differences in symptoms of complicated grief as well as post-trauma symptoms after a pupil’s suicide, among school staff in four domains: counsellors, psychologists, principals and home-room teachers. Method: Eighty-four staff members from schools that lost pupils to suicide within the past five years were assessed for symptoms of complicated grief and trauma. All reported their symptoms using self-report scales. Results: Principals and home-room teachers had significantly higher complicated grief and post-trauma symptoms. The main limitations of this study are that the data were collected via self-report questionnaires, which can introduce bias. Additionally, the sample is relatively small and comprises mainly women. Conclusions: School professionals in domains receiving less coping and crisis training, and those with supervisory responsibilities (principals and home-room teachers) show more symptoms of trauma and complicated grief after a pupil’s suicide, and require special attention. More preparatory training would surely benefit them and assist them in coping with such crises.

The association between school staff's coping strategies following a student's suicide, school climate, and previous experience with suicide

“…Based on our expertise we believe that staff members from the therapeutic professions, namely psychologists and counselors, may be more willing to dwell on difficult emotional issues such as a student's suicide. Furthermore, staff members who were in closer contact with the deceased student, such as the homeroom teachers, were also more adversely affected by the event, and exhibited significantly elevated levels of complicated grief and PTSD symptoms compared to school counselors and psychologists (Tiech Fire et al, 2022). This finding may also explain why homeroom teachers were less willing to participate in the study.…”

“…Levi-Belz (2015) and Levi et al (2011) estimate that every suicide leaves 25 bereaved "suicide survivors." In cases of suicide among children and adolescents, the school staff constitutes a significant group of grievers, albeit "forgotten grievers" (Tiech Fire et al, 2022).…”

“…Of those, a smaller group is even more affected, defined as “suicide survivors”, and includes family members, friends, co‐workers, and others whose world has been turned upside down by the suicide (Cerel et al, 2016; McLoughlin et al, 2015). Levi‐Belz (2015) and Levi et al (2011) estimate that every suicide leaves 25 bereaved “suicide survivors.” In cases of suicide among children and adolescents, the school staff constitutes a significant group of grievers, albeit “forgotten grievers” (Tiech Fire et al, 2022).…”

What Do We Know about Suicide Bereavement, and What We Can Do to Help Suicide-Loss Survivors?

“…Interestingly, several participants had guided their social network to receive the necessary support. In another important study, Tiech Fire and colleagues [ 20 ] focused on school staff, with the aim of understanding the impact of student suicides on post-trauma and grief symptoms among teachers, counsellors, and school principals. The authors found that homeroom teachers suffered more from complicated grief and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to psychologists and counsellors and, as such, should receive more preparatory training.…”