Perceived Stigma of Sudden Bereavement as a Risk Factor for Suicidal Thoughts and Suicide Attempt: Analysis of British Cross-Sectional Survey Data on 3387 Young Bereaved Adults
- PMID: 28282958
- PMCID: PMC5369122
- DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14030286
Perceived Stigma of Sudden Bereavement as a Risk Factor for Suicidal Thoughts and Suicide Attempt: Analysis of British Cross-Sectional Survey Data on 3387 Young Bereaved Adults
Abstract
The sudden death of a friend or relative, particularly by suicide, is a risk factor for suicide. People who experience sudden bereavement report feeling highly stigmatised by the loss, potentially influencing access to support. We assessed whether perceived stigma following sudden bereavement is associated with suicidal thoughts and suicide attempt. We analysed cross-sectional survey data on 3387 young adults bereaved by the sudden death of a close contact. We tested the association of high versus low perceived stigma (on the stigma sub-scale of the Grief Experience Questionnaire) with post-bereavement suicidal ideation and suicide attempt, using random effects logistic regression, adjusting for socio-demographic factors, pre-bereavement psychopathology, and mode of sudden bereavement (natural causes/unnatural causes/suicide). Subjects with high perceived stigma scores were significantly more likely to report post-bereavement suicidal thoughts (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.74; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.93-3.89) and suicide attempt (AOR = 2.73; 95% CI = 2.33-3.18) than those with low stigma scores. People who feel highly stigmatised by a sudden bereavement are at increased risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempt, even taking into account prior suicidal behaviour. General practitioners, bereavement counsellors, and others who support people bereaved suddenly, should consider inquiring about perceived stigma, mental wellbeing, and suicidal thoughts, and directing them to appropriate sources of support.
Keywords: bereavement; depression; risk factor; self-harm; stigma; suicide; support.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest. The Medical Research Council had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.
Similar articles
-
Bereavement by suicide as a risk factor for suicide attempt: a cross-sectional national UK-wide study of 3432 young bereaved adults.BMJ Open. 2016 Jan 26;6(1):e009948. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009948. BMJ Open. 2016. PMID: 26813968 Free PMC article.
-
The stigma perceived by people bereaved by suicide and other sudden deaths: A cross-sectional UK study of 3432 bereaved adults.J Psychosom Res. 2016 Aug;87:22-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2016.05.009. Epub 2016 May 27. J Psychosom Res. 2016. PMID: 27411748 Free PMC article.
-
The association of loneliness after sudden bereavement with risk of suicide attempt: a nationwide survey of bereaved adults.Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2020 Aug;55(8):1081-1092. doi: 10.1007/s00127-020-01921-w. Epub 2020 Jul 18. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2020. PMID: 32683472 Free PMC article.
-
Suicidal Ideation in Bereavement: A Systematic Review.Behav Sci (Basel). 2019 May 14;9(5):53. doi: 10.3390/bs9050053. Behav Sci (Basel). 2019. PMID: 31091772 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Trying to keep alive a non-traumatizing memory of the deceased: A meta-synthesis on the interpretation of loss in suicide-bereaved family members, their coping strategies and the effects on them.J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2023 Apr;30(2):182-207. doi: 10.1111/jpm.12866. Epub 2022 Sep 3. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2023. PMID: 35996970 Review.
Cited by
-
Development of mental health first-aid guidelines for suicide risk: a Delphi expert consensus study in Argentina and Chile.BMC Psychiatry. 2023 Dec 11;23(1):928. doi: 10.1186/s12888-023-05417-0. BMC Psychiatry. 2023. PMID: 38082256 Free PMC article.
-
The lived experience of family members of older people who have died by suicide in rural China.Nurs Open. 2023 Jul;10(7):4424-4431. doi: 10.1002/nop2.1684. Epub 2023 Feb 25. Nurs Open. 2023. PMID: 36840633 Free PMC article.
-
Suicidal Ideation, Depression, and Insomnia in Parent Survivors of Suicide: Based on Korean Psychological Autopsy of Adolescent Suicides.J Korean Med Sci. 2023 Feb 6;38(5):e39. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2023.38.e39. J Korean Med Sci. 2023. PMID: 36747364 Free PMC article.
-
Risks of suicide among family members of suicide victims: A nationwide sample of South Korea.Front Psychiatry. 2022 Oct 14;13:995834. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.995834. eCollection 2022. Front Psychiatry. 2022. PMID: 36311502 Free PMC article.
-
Psychosocial Outcomes of Individuals Attending a Suicide Bereavement Peer Support Group: A Follow-Up Study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 29;19(7):4076. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19074076. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022. PMID: 35409760 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Bolton J.M., Au W., Leslie W.D., Martens P.J., Enns M.W., Roos L.L., Katz L.Y., Wilcox H.C., Erlangsen A., Chateau D., et al. Parents bereaved by offspring suicide: A population-based longitudinal case-control study. JAMA Psychiatry. 2013;70:158–167. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.275. - DOI - PubMed
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical