The Information Seeking Behaviors and Needs of Suicide Survivors During Bereavement
-
Margaret Sullivan Zimmerman
Abstract
The suicide of one person impacts 60 people, known as suicide survivors. These survivors are at an increased risk for negative mental health outcomes including PTSD, suicidal ideation, and suicide contagion. Despite these consequences, there have not been any information science studies that have explored the information behaviors of people who have recently survived the suicide of a loved one. This article takes a unique approach in combining autoethnography with traditional survey research. One hundred and ninteen participants sourced from a private Facebook suicide bereavement group responded to a survey asking them about their information-seeking after a loved one committed suicide. The qualitative data were fragmented and grouped into like-responses and thematic codes that gave explanation to the research questions. These results are coupled with the author’s ethnographic recounting of a similar experience. Brenda Dervin’s sense-making is employed as the methodological lens through which the study is conducted. It is found that suicide survivors are highly unlikely to have their informational needs met. In the immediate aftermath of their loss, they are most likely to look for information related to the suffering of the deceased. As time passes, they begin to look for information about coping with their loss and preventing suicide of other people; either those close to them or in a larger community scale. Being a survivor motivated many participants to advocacy work. Finally, the author argues that the findings of this article should compel further research and the creation of information policy to aid survivors and prevent suicide contagion.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Laura Barrett for her assistance in editing the survey and assistance with data cleaning and drafting the introduction.
-
Research funding: This work was supported by Florida State University’s School of Information.
References
Adams, T. E., C. Ellis, and S. H. Jones. 2017. “Autoethnography.” In The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods, edited by J. Matthes, C. S. Davis, and R. F. Potter. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.10.1002/9781118901731.iecrm0011Search in Google Scholar
Adshead, C., and J. Runacres. 2022. “Sharing is Caring: A Realist Evaluation of a Social Support Group for Individuals Who Have Been Bereaved by Suicide.” OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying: 00302228211070152. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228211070152.Search in Google Scholar
Andalibi, N., and P. Garcia. 2021. “Sensemaking and Coping After Pregnancy Loss: The Seeking and Disruption of Emotional Validation Online.” Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 5 (CSCW1): 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1145/3449201.Search in Google Scholar
Barrett, T. W., and T. B. Scott. 1989. “Development of the Grief Experience Questionnaire.” Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 19 (2): 201–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1943-278x.1989.tb01033.x.Search in Google Scholar
Berardelli, I., D. Erbuto, E. Rogante, S. Sarubbi, D. Lester, and M. Pompili. 2020. “Making Sense of the Unique Pain of Survivors: A Psychoeducational Approach for Suicide Bereavement.” Frontiers in Psychology 11: 1244. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01244.Search in Google Scholar
Castelli Dransart, D. A. 2013. “From Sense-Making to Meaning-Making: Understanding and Supporting Survivors of Suicide.” British Journal of Social Work 43 (2): 317–35. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bct026.Search in Google Scholar
Chatman, E. A. 1996. “The Impoverished Life-World of Outsiders.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science 47 (3): 193–206. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-4571(199603)47:3<193::aid-asi3>3.0.co;2-t.10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(199603)47:3<193::AID-ASI3>3.0.CO;2-TSearch in Google Scholar
Christianson, M. K., and M. A. Barton. 2021. “Sensemaking in the Time of COVID-19.” Journal of Management Studies 58: 572–6. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12658.Search in Google Scholar
Cresswell, J. W. 2021. Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 6th ed. Boston: Pearson.Search in Google Scholar
Creswell, J. W., and C. N. Poth. 2007. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. Los Angelos, CA.: Sage Publications.Search in Google Scholar
Cvinar, J. G. 2005. “Do Suicide Survivors Suffer Social Stigma: A Review of the Literature.” Perspectives in Psychiatric Care 41 (1): 14–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0031-5990.2005.00004.x.Search in Google Scholar
Dervin, B. 1983. An Overview of Sense-Making Research: Concepts, Methods and Results to Date. Dallas: International Communications Association.Search in Google Scholar
Dervin, B. 1992. “From the Mind’s Eye of the User: The Sense-Making Qualitative-Quantitative Methodology.” In Qualitative Research in Information Management, edited by J. Glazier, and R. Powell, 61–84. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.Search in Google Scholar
Dervin, B., L. Foreman-Wernet, and E. Lauterbach, eds. 2003. Sense-Making Methodology Reader: Selected Writings of Brenda Dervin. New York, NY: Hampton Press.Search in Google Scholar
Dyregrov, K. 2009. “How Do the Young Suicide Survivors Wish to be Met by Psychologists? A User Study.” OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying 59 (3): 221–38. https://doi.org/10.2190/om.59.3.c.Search in Google Scholar
Eng, J., L. Drabwell, F. Stevenson, M. King, D. Osborn, and A. Pitman. 2019. “Use of Alcohol and Unprescribed Drugs After Suicide Bereavement: Qualitative Study.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16 (21): 4093. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16214093.Search in Google Scholar
Gephart, R. P.Jr. 2007. “Crisis Sensemaking.” In International Handbook of Organizational Crisis Management, 123–160. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.10.4135/9781412982757.n5Search in Google Scholar
Jordan, J. R. 2001. “Is Suicide Bereavement Different? A Reassessment of the Literature.” Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 31 (1): 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.31.1.91.21310.Search in Google Scholar
Kim, J., and S. Lee. 2020. “An Emerging Online Social Network and Disaster-Induced Collective Stress.” Media Psychology 23 (4): 521–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2019.1609989.Search in Google Scholar
Levi-Belz, Y., and T. Gilo. 2020. “Emotional Distress Among Suicide Survivors: The Moderating Role of Self-Forgiveness.” Frontiers in Psychiatry 11: 341. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00341.Search in Google Scholar
Ligier, F., J. Rassy, G. Fortin, I. van Haaster, C. Doyon, C. Brouillard, M. Séguin, and A. Lesage. 2020. “Being Pro-Active in Meeting the Needs of Suicide-Bereaved Survivors: Results from a 637 Systematic Audit in Montréal.” BMC Public Health 20: 1534. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-638020-09636-y.10.1186/s12889-020-09636-ySearch in Google Scholar
May, V. 2011. “Autoethnography.” In Encyclopedia of Consumer Culture, edited by D. Southerton, 78–97. Thousand Oaks: Sage.Search in Google Scholar
Mayton, H. N., and K. Wester. 2019. “Understanding the Experiences of Survivors of a Loss by Suicide: A Photovoice Study.” Journal of Creativity in Mental Health 14 (1): 10–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2018.1491814.Search in Google Scholar
McMenamy, J. M., J. R. Jordan, and A. M. Mitchell. 2008. “What Do Suicide Survivors Tell Us They Need? Results of a Pilot Study.” Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 38 (4): 375–89. https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.2008.38.4.375.Search in Google Scholar
Mental Health America. 2021. The State of Mental Health in America. https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america (accessed May 15, 2021).Search in Google Scholar
Mitchell, L. M. 2014. “Bereavement Experience of Female Military Spousal Suicide Survivors: Utilizing Lazarus’ Cognitive Stress Theory.” PhD diss., The George Washington University.10.15241/lm.5.4.442Search in Google Scholar
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). 2021. Suicide. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml (accessed May 15, 2021).Search in Google Scholar
O’Connell, C. J., and A. J. Mills. 2003. “Making Sense of Bad News: The Media, Sensemaking, and Organizational Crisis.” Canadian Journal of Communication 28 (3): 323–40. https://doi.org/10.22230/cjc.2003v28n3a1374.Search in Google Scholar
Oexle, N., and L. Sheehan. 2020. “Perceived Social Support and Mental Health After Suicide Loss.” Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention 41 (1): 65. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000594.Search in Google Scholar
Oexle, N., W. Feigelman, and L. Sheehan. 2020. “Perceived Suicide Stigma, Secrecy About Suicide Loss and Mental Health Outcomes.” Death Studies 44 (4): 248–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2018.1539052.Search in Google Scholar
Rengifo, A. F., M. Pater, and B. J. Velazquez. 2017. “Crime, Cops, and Context: Risk and Risk-Management Strategies Among Black and Latino Youth in New York City.” Criminal Justice and Behavior 44 (3): 452–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854816682047.Search in Google Scholar
Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., P. Havinga, W. van Ballegooijen, L. Delfosse, J. Mokkenstorm, and B. Boon. 2014. “What Do the Bereaved by Suicide Communicate in Online Support Groups? A Content Analysis.” Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention 35 (1): 27. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000225.Search in Google Scholar
Sher, L. 2020. “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Suicide Rates.” QJM: An International Journal of Medicine 113 (10): 707–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcaa202.Search in Google Scholar
Taylor, J. R., and E. J. Van Every. 1999. The Emergent Organization: Communication as its Site and Surface. New York, NY: Routledge.10.4324/9781410602275Search in Google Scholar
Velting, D. M., and M. S. Gould. 1997. “Suicide Contagion.” In Review of Suicidology, edited by R. W. Maris, M. M. Silverman, and S. S. Canetto, 96–137. New York: Guilford Press.Search in Google Scholar
Weick, K. E., K. M. Sutcliffe, and D. Obstfeld. 2005. “Organizing and the Process of Sensemaking.” Organization Science 16 (4): 409–21. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1050.0133.Search in Google Scholar
© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Alethic Rights and Alethic Pluralism in Libraries
- Digital Archiving Policies of Central European Journals Registered in the Directory of Open Access Journals
- The Information Seeking Behaviors and Needs of Suicide Survivors During Bereavement
- Comparisons of the Economist Topics on Three Countries from 1991 Through 2016
- A Comparative Study of Information Literacy Study Trends Between Korea and Other Countries Using Keyword Networks
- “We Collect TONS of Data … We Report What We Think Our Community Cares the Most About … We Learn so Much from It:” School Librarians’ Evidence Collection and Sharing Practices
- Sex in the Stacks: Examining the Treatment of Explicit Materials in American Libraries
- A Study of Academic Library through the Prism of Knowledge Use and Problem Solving Networks
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Alethic Rights and Alethic Pluralism in Libraries
- Digital Archiving Policies of Central European Journals Registered in the Directory of Open Access Journals
- The Information Seeking Behaviors and Needs of Suicide Survivors During Bereavement
- Comparisons of the Economist Topics on Three Countries from 1991 Through 2016
- A Comparative Study of Information Literacy Study Trends Between Korea and Other Countries Using Keyword Networks
- “We Collect TONS of Data … We Report What We Think Our Community Cares the Most About … We Learn so Much from It:” School Librarians’ Evidence Collection and Sharing Practices
- Sex in the Stacks: Examining the Treatment of Explicit Materials in American Libraries
- A Study of Academic Library through the Prism of Knowledge Use and Problem Solving Networks
