Abstract
Objective
The loss of a friend or family member to suicide, i.e., surviving suicide, can be devastating. Yet, little is known regarding the support received by survivors of suicide. We aimed to examine the characteristics of survivors of suicide who sought counseling from a Danish volunteer organization.
Method
Data on all users of the Danish Network for those Affected by Suicidal Behavior (NASB) were obtained during 2012–2018. Information on age, sex, relation, time of loss, municipality was analyzed, and geographical driving distances calculated.
Results
Altogether, 1,268 survivors of suicide (mean age 43.3; 29.8% of all suicides) received counseling from NASB. In all, 81.8% of service users had lost a partner or first-degree relative; those being spouses/partners (15.3%), parents (28.5%), children (19.0%), and siblings (15.4%). Female service users (71.1%) outnumbered males (28.7%). A third of users sought counseling within 6-months of the death. A help-seeking rate of 6 users per 10 suicide deaths was found within close proximity to a counseling venue; equivalent of 5.5 (95% CI: 5.0–6.0) users per 100,000 inhabitants. Each additional 10 km of driving distance was associated with a 15% lower rate of use (b: −0.015; 95% CI: 0.027 to 0.003; p = 0.013).
Conclusion
Geographical proximity to help centers was important and could suggest that support might be lacking in some parts of the country. It seems likely that more than 0.6 persons per suicide might seek counseling from volunteer organizations if services were available within short driving distance.
HIGHLIGHTS
More than one out of three who sought support after a suicide death were partners or first-degree relatives and only a third of users who sought counseling did so within 6-months of the death. Also, female sought counseling more frequently than males.
Approximately 5.5 people per 100,000 inhabitants sought help after a suicide in areas where a counseling venue was within short driving distance.
Based on the region with most counseling venues, 6 survivors would seek support per 10 suicide deaths.
The loss of a friend or family member to suicide, i.e., surviving suicide, can be devastating. Yet, little is known regarding the support received by survivors of suicide. We aimed to examine the characteristics of survivors of suicide who sought counseling from a Danish volunteer organization.
Method
Data on all users of the Danish Network for those Affected by Suicidal Behavior (NASB) were obtained during 2012–2018. Information on age, sex, relation, time of loss, municipality was analyzed, and geographical driving distances calculated.
Results
Altogether, 1,268 survivors of suicide (mean age 43.3; 29.8% of all suicides) received counseling from NASB. In all, 81.8% of service users had lost a partner or first-degree relative; those being spouses/partners (15.3%), parents (28.5%), children (19.0%), and siblings (15.4%). Female service users (71.1%) outnumbered males (28.7%). A third of users sought counseling within 6-months of the death. A help-seeking rate of 6 users per 10 suicide deaths was found within close proximity to a counseling venue; equivalent of 5.5 (95% CI: 5.0–6.0) users per 100,000 inhabitants. Each additional 10 km of driving distance was associated with a 15% lower rate of use (b: −0.015; 95% CI: 0.027 to 0.003; p = 0.013).
Conclusion
Geographical proximity to help centers was important and could suggest that support might be lacking in some parts of the country. It seems likely that more than 0.6 persons per suicide might seek counseling from volunteer organizations if services were available within short driving distance.
HIGHLIGHTS
More than one out of three who sought support after a suicide death were partners or first-degree relatives and only a third of users who sought counseling did so within 6-months of the death. Also, female sought counseling more frequently than males.
Approximately 5.5 people per 100,000 inhabitants sought help after a suicide in areas where a counseling venue was within short driving distance.
Based on the region with most counseling venues, 6 survivors would seek support per 10 suicide deaths.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Archives of Suicide Research |
| Early online date | 1 Apr 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 1 Apr 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2021 International Academy for Suicide Research.
Research Groups and Themes
- SASH
Keywords
- bereaved by suicide
- counsellor-led support groups
- postvention
- survivors of suicide
- volunteer-based counseling
Access to Document
- Full-text PDF (author’s accepted manuscript)
This is the author accepted manuscript (AAM). The final published version (version of record) is available online via Taylor & Francis at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13811118.2021.1903636?journalCode=usui20 . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.