Sammen om Sorgen: Et Familieperspektiv på Selvmord

Abstract

The aim of this thesis has been to investigate the grief process in families after a traumatic death, specifically suicide. This current topic is of interest because the literature on the subject shows great ambivalence in grief-stricken families, which can cause complicated relationships. Furthermore, suicide has historically been considered taboo across cultures, which makes this loss especially difficult to cope with among surviving family members. To investigate this topic, we formulated the following research question: How does a suicide affect a family’s grieving process? with the limitation of studying only a single family. The method used to research the proposed question was an interview of three members of a family who experienced the loss of their son and brother to suicide a year and a half ago. The interview was conducted via a semi-structured interview guide and was held respectively at the university as well as in one of the participants' houses. Citations from each interview were then collected and thematically analyzed according to IPA. Three main themes were identified: Gratefulness, Coping, and Guilt. These themes were then divided into sub-themes, which were interpreted based on chosen theories. The theories of the thesis consisted of three core aspects: a systemic perspective, attachment theory, and grief. The systemic perspective contributed to enlightening how the family functioned individually and within a system consisting of, for example, their community and social circles. Attachment theory gave insight into how the connections between family members and their peers assisted them after the loss. Grief theory illustrated a vast field of different perspectives, which all contributed to a greater understanding of the general grief process of the family and the individuals in it. Based on the analysis, we found that the family coped with the loss in similar and varying ways associated with both gender and other individual factors. A rigid explanation for the cause of death was found in the family, which furthermore acted as a protective factor against negative emotions as well as a hindrance to flexibility regarding accepting other explanations. Overall, the social circle around the family members was found to be an essential contributor to the general positive grief process and coping in the family. Despite certain differences, the family has for the most part handled the grief in similar ways and has constructed a shared narrative around the suicide and the following process. Their grief process seems to have been affected by mourning associations and their applied theoretical and normative understanding of how grief is and should be expressed and handled correctly. This theoretical framework has been internalized by some of the family members, as seen in their understanding of their own and others' grief. The current thesis has thus found that this particular family has been affected by both trauma and grief reactions following the suicide, manifested as shock and loss. This has not only affected them internally but has also impacted their close and peripheral network. The network has played a central role in the family's subsequent grieving process.

A master thesis from Aalborg University

Sammen om Sorgen: Et Familieperspektiv på Selvmord

[Grieving Together: A Family Perspective on Suicide]