The Impact of Colleague Suicide and the Current State of Postvention Guidance for Affected Co-Workers: A Critical Integrative Review

Abstract

People bereaved by suicide are affected psychologically and physically and may be at greater risk of taking their own lives. Whilst researchers have explored the impact of suicide on family members and friends, the area of colleague suicide has been neglected and postvention guidance for supporting surviving colleagues is often poorly developed. This critical integrative review explored the impact of colleague suicide on surviving co-workers and reviewed postvention guidance for workplaces. Systematic searches found 17 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Articles were appraised for quality and extracted data were analysed using a thematic network method. Article quality was moderate. Two global themes were developed: impact of a colleague suicide comprised themes of ‘suicide loss in the workplace’; ‘professional identities and workplace roles’; ‘perceptions of professional uniqueness’; and ‘professional abandonment and silencing’. Postvention following a colleague suicide comprised ‘individualised responses’; ‘the dual function of stigma’; and ‘complex pressure on managers’. A unifying global network ‘after a colleague suicide’ describes the relationships between all themes. A series of disconnects between existing postvention guidance and the needs of impacted workers are discussed. This review demonstrates the need for robust, systemic postvention for colleagues impacted by the complex issue of colleague suicide.

Towards an Evidence-Based Model of Workplace Postvention

“…In a systematic review of grief reactions comparing bereavement by suicide with other causes of death, those with a loss to suicide reported higher levels of rejection, shame, stigma, need for concealing the cause of death and [self] blaming than all other groups [36]. This complex response has also been cited in research on the impact of the death of a colleague by suicide [37] and amongst psychiatrists and psychologists following the death of a patient by suicide [38].…”

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

“…Both health and mental health professionals are at risk of losing a client or a colleague to suicide. The integrated review of 17 articles conducted by Causer and colleagues [ 26 ] emphasized the impact that a suicide by a colleague may have on workers in healthcare and other settings. They found that the perceptions of grief are complicated by professional identities and workplace cultures.…”

Workplace interventions to prevent suicide: A scoping review

“…This includes addressing the issue of suicide and promoting mental health and well-being. Moreover, the loss of an employee to suicide can have a profound impact on the morale and productivity of the remaining staff, leading to increased absenteeism, decreased motivation, and decreased productivity [ 10 ]. Therefore, preventing suicide is important for organizations to support the well-being of their employees, fulfil their legal and ethical responsibilities, and maintain a healthy and productive workplace.…”