The lived experience of family members of older people who have died by suicide in rural China.
Mengyun Chen, Xiubin Zhang, Brendan McCormack
PMID 36840633WHAT IT FOUND
Bereaved relatives of older people who died by suicide in rural China described shame, guilt, suicidal thoughts, stigma and funeral costs.
Some said time helped; three appeared still distressed.
Key findings
01All five participants reported guilt after the older person's suicide.
02Participants reported suicidal thoughts after the older person's suicide.
03Villagers' gossip and blame were experienced as shame and social isolation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only five participants from one rural village, so it cannot represent other families or regions in China. No spouse of a person who died by suicide was included. Snowball recruitment may have limited who could take part. The findings are personal accounts, not measurements of outcomes or effects of any service.
Declared interests
The authors reported no funding and no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these accounts as evidence that any bereavement service works or that all relatives become suicidal. The study was qualitative, included only five family members from one village, and did not compare outcomes or test support services.