Survivor Research
Although research on suicide survivors is limited, evidence suggests that survivors of suicide may be affected by the deaths of their loved ones in ways that are different than individuals and families bereaved through types of death other than suicide. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and AFSP co-sponsored a workshop on research on suicide survivors. The goals of the workshop were:
The workshop took place May 13-14, 2003, in Washington, D.C. The workshop program was developed by a core work group including Dr. Herbert Hendin, Dr. Ann Pollinger Haas, and Joanne Harpel, Esq., of AFSP, Dr. Jane Pearson and Patricia Horgas of NIMH, and Dr. Janice Genevro, a consultant who will be writing up the workshop results. Drs. Haas and Pearson chaired the workshop and Elizabeth Gough of AFSP provided administrative support for the core work group and workshop.
Topics addressed in the workshop include research on the epidemiology of survivors of suicide (including the question of how suicide survivorship should be defined), survivors' emotional responses, the role of first responders and other critical questions in understanding the impact of suicide on survivors and their needs. Research on interventions for suicide survivors was also addressed, as will methodological and ethical issues in research on suicide survivors.
Participants in the workshop included researchers from a range of disciplines and perspectives. In addition, representatives of professions (for example, funeral directors and clergy) with experience serving suicide survivors in specific settings participated. Participants were selected based on their specific areas of expertise, as well as on their ability to contribute to an in-depth and productive discussion of the current state of research on suicide survivors and future directions of this research.
The workshop was designed primarily for discussion and interaction among the participants. Therefore, participants were expected to attend the full workshop. Participants were also asked to submit a two-page abstract of their presentation at least eight weeks in advance of the workshop, and to identify two-to-four references (including their own work) that support their presentation or have shaped their thinking on the topic. These materials, with a brief biographical sketch of each workshop participant, will be bound into a booklet for distribution and review by all participants in advance of the workshop.
Subsequent to the workshop, a document reflecting the workshop discussions and the consensus of the participants was written. The document addresses the current state of research on suicide survivors, what is known about the impact of suicide survivorship and interventions for survivors and what is needed to advance the field. The document was reviewed by the core work group, and then circulated for approval by all participants in the workshop. All workshop participants will be coauthors of the final document. Based on this document, survivor-related funding initiatives and requests for proposals will be developed and distributed by AFSP and NIMH.
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Support for the workshop has been received from the National Institutes of Health Office of Rare Diseases and from the Stephen D. Lelewer Memorial Fund.
