Suicide-bereaved siblings' perception of health services.

Abstract

The authors investigated suicide-bereaved siblings' reported reasons for seeking or not seeking professional support, their reported satisfaction when receiving it, and their recommendations to health services when meeting suicide-bereaved siblings. Using qualitative content analysis of 18 interviews with suicide-bereaved siblings, the authors found that the perception of health services as being helpful was influenced by both the participants' and by the deceased siblings' experiences with health services. They conclude that the bereaved sibling's and the deceased sibling's unmet needs may generate negative attitudes toward health services, which reduces the likelihood of seeking professional help as well as medication acceptance in some cases.