In Memorial: The Importance of Creating Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Memorial Places and Spaces for Parents Bereaved through the Suicide Death of their Son or Daughter

Abstract

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to describe motivations for, and meanings of, the creation of memorial spaces and places to memorialize a suicide deceased son or daughter. Research undertaken to understand the experience of those bereaved by suicide has gained a momentum over the past decade. This increase in research activity is assisting services and individuals seeking to support individuals and families bereaved by suicide. However, the literature in this area remains limited, and predominantly qualitative and comparative in nature. As with many emerging research themes, there are conflicting reports made of whether suicide bereavement differs from other forms of bereavement, or if the experience is largely similar to other forms of traumatic death. While such discussions are important, particularly in the context of service provision efficacy, they take the emphasis off understanding qualitatively, and in depth, what the experience of losing a loved one to suicide might mean to an individual, a family, or a community. This Australian research extends the discussions of the literature to provide an in depth exploration of parents experiences following the suicide death of a young adult son or daughter. Several key findings help to shed new light to this experience.