The Perceived Experience of Children Bereaved by Parental Suicide

Abstract

Children whose parent died by suicide are a vulnerable and underserved population. This phenomenon will be described, as well as implications for practice and research. "Double Whammy," a conceptualization of the overall experience of this marginalized group, emerged through two in-depth interviews from a phenomenological qualitative study with professionals who facilitate support groups for children bereaved by parental suicide. It was corroborated with current literature and practice experiences of the authors and their colleagues. Stigma was the largest contributor to the "Double Whammy," and the following themes emerged as well: feeling isolated, feeling abandoned, and feeling responsible. The self-volition of suicide challenges how bereaved children make meaning and internalize feelings about the deceased parent, one's self, and others. Developmentally appropriate education about suicide grief, depression, and normalizing the grief process is pivotal in helping children to effectively cope and manage their feelings.

With A Kiss: Betrayal

“…Betrayal theory suggested that persons cope with traumatic betrayals, such as parental suicide (Schreiber, Sands, & Jordan, 2017), childhood sexual abuse (Gobin & Freyd, 2014), homelessness (Mackelprang et al, 2014), and historical trauma (Grayshield et al, 2015; Treloar & Jackson, 2015) by blocking awareness of the betrayal, by feeling depressed, by developing an unwillingness to trust, by engaging in substance abuse and/or other mental health disturbances. For example, children who have experienced a loss of a parent through suicide reported feelings of abandonment, isolation, stigma, and guilt along with experiencing shattered assumptions (Schreiber et al, 2017). Children who are bereaved by parental suicide experience a “loss of core assumptions about the world when encountering a tragic loss such as a death of a parent” (p. 188).…”

“…Children who are bereaved by parental suicide experience a “loss of core assumptions about the world when encountering a tragic loss such as a death of a parent” (p. 188). Some of these children feel that “their parent did not love them enough” (Schreiber et al, 2017, p. 195). Gobin and Freyd (2014) suggested that when a child is repeatedly betrayed, such as in sexual abuse, “the development of healthy trust decisions is likely to be disrupted” (p. 505).…”

Very Young Child Survivors’ Perceptions of Their Father’s Suicide: Exploring Bibliotherapy as Postvention Support

“…In addition to the loss of the parent, the associated cause of death also has implications for surviving children [ 15 , 16 ]. In particular, the death of a parent by suicide is especially traumatic for surviving children [ 17 , 18 ].…”

“…Researchers estimate that the number of children in the United States annually who experience their parent’s suicide ranges from 7000 to as high as 30,000 [ 19 , 20 ]. These child survivors experience more complicated grief compared to children bereaved by a parent’s non-suicidal death [ 18 , 21 , 22 ]. When compared to typically developing peers, child survivors of a parent’s suicide (CSoPS) experience higher levels of depression, anxiety, and anger [ 23 , 24 ].…”

“…Additionally, one of the most worrisome outcomes for CSoPS is that they are three to four times more likely to attempt and ultimately complete suicide compared to youth from families with two living parents [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. As such, CSoPS are identified as a highly vulnerable population [ 17 , 18 , 20 ]. Even though there is a great need to support child survivors’ immediate and ongoing needs, research examining how to assist this young population is very limited [ 17 , 18 , 31 ].…”