Background: People bereaved by suicide, or “survivors”, are subject to increased risk of complicated grief and suicide, and struggle to obtain proper support. The aim of this study was to explore experiences and needs of survivors who find help on live-chats. No such analysis has been conducted so far. Methods: Qualitative content analysis was carried out on 30 live-chat conversations occurred between 2014 and 2019 through the software ATLAS.ti8 and by means of a Grounded Theory approach. Transcripts were retrieved from one of the major associations in Italy providing free of charge online support. Information about the sample was retrieved from the transcripts: users had different age (from 18 to 60 years), degrees of kinship with the deceased, and time distance from the loss (between 10 days and 36 months). Findings: Five macro-categories were identified: Reactions, Needs, Resources, Intervention of the operator and Sense-making of the loss. The latter included attempts at finding explanations for the suicide. A strong sense of responsibility towards those remaining emerged as the main reason for seeking help. However, several users reported lack of family support and, sometimes, dissatisfaction with formal support. Conclusions: Live-chat services represent a safe space where survivors can obtain useful information and start their process of meaning making of the loss. Because of its anonymity and availability, live-chats may represent a valid first line of support and a tool for prevention of suicidal ideation. Insights obtained from this study would help in the implementation of better services for survivors.

Live-chat support for people bereaved by suicide: a content analysis.

Lorenza Entilli;Fabio Bettio;Diego De Leo;Sabrina Cipolletta
2019

Abstract

Background: People bereaved by suicide, or “survivors”, are subject to increased risk of complicated grief and suicide, and struggle to obtain proper support. The aim of this study was to explore experiences and needs of survivors who find help on live-chats. No such analysis has been conducted so far. Methods: Qualitative content analysis was carried out on 30 live-chat conversations occurred between 2014 and 2019 through the software ATLAS.ti8 and by means of a Grounded Theory approach. Transcripts were retrieved from one of the major associations in Italy providing free of charge online support. Information about the sample was retrieved from the transcripts: users had different age (from 18 to 60 years), degrees of kinship with the deceased, and time distance from the loss (between 10 days and 36 months). Findings: Five macro-categories were identified: Reactions, Needs, Resources, Intervention of the operator and Sense-making of the loss. The latter included attempts at finding explanations for the suicide. A strong sense of responsibility towards those remaining emerged as the main reason for seeking help. However, several users reported lack of family support and, sometimes, dissatisfaction with formal support. Conclusions: Live-chat services represent a safe space where survivors can obtain useful information and start their process of meaning making of the loss. Because of its anonymity and availability, live-chats may represent a valid first line of support and a tool for prevention of suicidal ideation. Insights obtained from this study would help in the implementation of better services for survivors.
2019
33rd Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society_Abstracts ebook
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11577/3317285
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