Grief of children following parental suicide

Abstract

• Project Title: The construction of meaning following parental suicide. • Research question: What meaning have children bereaved by parental suicide placed on this event and its aftermath throughout their developmental years and adult lives? • Aims: The primary aims were to explore the recollections of adults who had experienced parental suicide while they were children/adolescents; To understand the developmental history after suicide; the development of psychological and spiritual meaning systems and the development of resilience; Identify the nature of support and the timing of the support that would be most beneficial to the bereaved families and in particular, the surviving children; Understand more about vulnerability and the factors that affect coping; Identify the protective external factors that encourage moderation between stress, risk, coping and the building of resilience and how support services could be designed to facilitate resilience.