Live-Chat Support for People Bereaved Due to Suicide: A Thematic Analysis

Background: People bereaved by suicide often face isolation, complicated grief and increased suicide risk. Aims T o explore how live chat can support survivors in the ir bere a vement process . Method A t hematic analysis wa s carried out on 30 live chat conversations through the software ATLAS.ti8. Transcripts were retrieved from a major Italian association providing online support. The u sers had different age s (18 to 60 years), degrees of kinship with the deceased blood rel at ed and not )), and time distance from the loss (between 48 hr and 10 years Results Five themes were identified: m eaning making, r eactions to the loss, r esources, n eeds and i nteractions with the operator Survivors used the live chat as a safe space in wh ich to disc lose nonsocially desirable details and to make sense of suicide through the reconstruction of events and the deceased’s motivations . G i ven the li mited social resources and the dissatisfaction with the available formal support , users resort ed to justificati on , rationalization or faith and found support and reassurance in the live chats Limitations: S ome conversations were fragmented and lacked detailed information on the users . Conclusion Because of their anonymity and accessibility , live chats represent a valid first line fo rm of s upport from which survivors may obtain useful information and start a meaning making process.