22-6 Grief Adjustment among Survivors of Suicide (SoS): The Preliminary Construction of Task-Crisis Model

Hsin-Chin Lu Chun-Kai Fang Chi-Yun Lin
Mackay Memorial Hospital  Mackay Memorial Hospital  National Taipei College of Nursing

The study aimed to explore grief reactions and adjustments of survivors of suicide (SoS), and to construct a model on grief adjustment. Using semi-constructed and in-depth interviews of eleven SoS, data was analyzed with Colaizzi’s (1978) seven steps and ATLAS.ti 5.0 software. Combining SoS' physical sensational, feeling, cognitive, and behavioral grief reactions, characteristics of whole grief reaction were discovered. It included shock, confusion, anger & guilt, long-term feelings of sadness, meaninglessness, and silence. These characteristics might induce crises, including answer searching, blaming of others, depression, hopelessness, and loneliness. As to means of physical, mental, spiritual, and social grief adjustment taken from SoS, the following strategies could be used: expressing the grief; letting go of unanswered questions, empathizing the victims, bidding farewell, creating meaning, and to say a blessing for the victim. This study formed the preliminary construction of the model of grief adjustment among SoS with the following six “task-crisis” themes: expression-repression, letting go-searching, empathy-blame, farewell-depression, look beyond-hopelessness, blessing-loneliness. In sum, the process of grief adjustment is long and time-consuming, and the “task-crisis” model enables SoS and caregivers to realize possible endeavors and reach an acceptable state of grief; With regard to the SoS who are in despair in terms of grief adjustment and most of those caregivers who feel helpless at the face of SoS' poignant and complex form of grief; the model can point to a means of intervention.

Keywords
grief adjustment, grief reaction, grief task, Survivors of Suicide (SoS)

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