The lived experiences of late-adolescent female suicide survivors: ‘A part of me died’

Health SA Gesondheid

 
 
Field Value
 
Title The lived experiences of late-adolescent female suicide survivors: ‘A part of me died’
 
Creator Hoffmann, Willem A. Myburgh, Chris Poggenpoel, Marie
 
Subject Psychology; Education phenomenology; postvention; psychoeducation; qualitative analysis; suicide aftermath
Description People’s thoughts often focus on the suicide victim immediately after a completed suicide. Yet, the real victims of such an event are those individuals who are left behind to cope with the aftermath of the suicide. This phenomenological psychological study explored the lived experiences of late-adolescent suicide survivors, particularly those negative experiences that seemed to worsen in the weeks and months after a significant other’s completed suicide. The research participants were five female late-adolescents (aged 17–22 years) who were recruited by means of purposive sampling at a South African tertiary institution and at youth camps. Data collection consisted of collage-facilitated, face-to-face phenomenological interviews. In addition, some participants provided documentary material in the form of personal diaries, letters and poems. The data analysis was conducted according to Giorgi’s phenomenological method. The following salient experiences emerged during the data analysis: guilt, self-blame, blaming others or God, anger, loss or restriction of ‘self’, depression, suboptimal behavioural coping patterns, changes in relationship dynamics, and suicidality. The results of this study can be used by mental health professionals and caregivers to support adolescent suicide survivors effectively, in the midst of their mourning.OpsommingMense se gedagtes fokus meestal op die selfmoordslagoffer onmiddellik na ’n voltooide selfmoord. Tog is die werklike slagoffers die persone wat agterbly om die lewe na die selfmoord te hanteer. Hierdie fenomenologies-sielkundige studie het die geleefde belewenisse van laat-adolessente oorlewendes ondersoek, spesifiek daardie negatiewe belewenisse wat skynbaar erger word in die weke en maande na ’n betekenisvolle ander se voltooide selfmoord. Die navorsingsdeelnemers was vyf vroulike laat-adolessente (17–22 jaar oud) wat gewerf is deur middel van doelgerigte selektering by ’n Suid-Afrikaanse tersiêre instelling en jeugkampe. Data-insameling het geskied aan die hand van collage-gefasiliteerde, aangesig-tot-aangesig fenomenologiese onderhoude. Sommige deelnemers het addisionele dokumente in die vorm van persoonlike dagboeke, briewe en gedigte beskikbaar gestel vir data-analise. Die data is geanaliseer volgens Giorgi se fenomenologiese metode. Die volgende belewenisse het na vore getree tydens die data-analise: skuldgevoelens, self-blaam/spyt, blameer ander/God, woede, verlies/inperking van ‘self’, depressie, sub-optimale gedragshanteringspatrone, veranderinge in verhoudingsdinamika, en selfmoordneigings. Die resultate van hierdie studie kan deur geestesgesondheidwerkers en versorgers aangewend word om adolessente selfmoordagtergeblewenes effektief te ondersteun in die rouproses.
 
Publisher AOSIS Publishing
 
Contributor Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program
Date 2010-06-08
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Qualitative research; Phenomenological interview; Arts-based research
Format text/html text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/hsag.v15i1.493
 
Source Health SA Gesondheid; Vol 15, No 1 (2010); 9 pages 2071-9736 1025-9848
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://hsag.co.za/index.php/hsag/article/view/493/465 https://hsag.co.za/index.php/hsag/article/view/493/xml https://hsag.co.za/index.php/hsag/article/view/493/458
 
Coverage South Africa Late adolescence Age; Gender; Lived experience
Rights Copyright (c) 2010 Willem A. Hoffmann, Chris Myburgh, Marie Poggenpoel https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ADVERTISEMENT