Edinburgh Napier University

  Objectives. This study explored the lived experience of family members who were living with a suicidal loved one. The psychosocial impact that this experience had on the loved one, their views on support services and their support needs were all explored.
Design. This was a qualitative, interview study using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA).

Methods. Five adult participants were recruited through the use of a Gumtree recruitment advertisement. Each participant took part in a one-to-one, semi-structured interview. Four interviews were conducted in person and one telephone interview was conducted in line with participant preferences. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using IPA.

Results. Four master themes emerged from analysis of the interview data: 1) Emotional Turmoil, 2) Challenges, 3) Coping and 4) Support. Participants entered a state of emotional turmoil as soon as they discovered their loved one attempted suicide. Challenges that they experienced included unpredictability of their situation, strained family relationships, stigma and isolation. Participants engaged in hypervigilance, avoidance and increasing their awareness of mental health issues in attempts to cope with this experience. A range of supports were recommended by participants who generally felt unsupported and alone in this experience.

Conclusions. The findings are discussed in relation to the extant caregiver literature. Recommendations for practise and further research are highlighted.