The purpose of this family-focused, grounded-theory study was to develop a substantive theory that explains how individual family members heal in the aftermath of youth suicide. Individual healing following youth suicide is conceptualized as a process of “journeying toward wholeness.” In response to youth suicide, survivors characteristically tap into their innate strengths and coping capabilities. Eventually, most survivors move toward healing. Precipitated by youth suicide, individual healing was found to be a contextually mediated, ongoing, dynamic, and recursive process. Most often initiated by a family survivor who was emotionally and spiritually close to the youth prior to suicide, healing emanated from the survivor’s consciousness as an act of volition. This study brings to light the idea that bereaved family survivors of youth suicide have the potential to heal in response to the decisions they make and the healthy bonds they create and maintain between themselves and the deceased youth.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Achterberg, J.
(1990). Mind and medicine: The role of imagery in healing. Journal of the American Society for Physical Research, 83(1), 93-100.
2.
Alberta Association of Registered Nurses
. (1999). Nursing practice standards. Edmonton, Canada: Author.
3.
Alty, A.
, & Rodham, K. (1998). The ouch! factor: Problems in conducting sensitive research. Qualitative Health Research, 8(2), 275-282.
4.
Anderson, T.
, & Yuhos, R. (1993). Health promotion in rural settings: A nursing challenge. Nursing Clinics of North America, 28(1), 145-157.
5.
Attig, T.
(1996). How we grieve: Relearning the world. New York: Oxford University Press.
6.
Banks-Wallace, J.
(1998). Emancipatory potential of storytelling in a group. IMAGE: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 30(1), 17-21.
7.
Blumenthal, S. J.
(1990). Youth suicide: Risk factors, assessment, and treatment of adolescent and young adult suicidal patients. Psychiatric Clinics of North America,13(3), 511-556.
8.
Blumer, H.
(1969). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
9.
Boldt, M.
(1988). The meaning of suicide: Implications for research. Crisis, 9(2), 93-108.
10.
Brent, D. A.
(1995). Risk factors for adolescent suicide and suicidal behavior: Mental and substance abuse disorders, family environmental factors, and life stress. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 25, 52-63.
11.
Burke Draucker, C.
, & Petrovic, K. (1996). Healing of adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. IMAGE: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 28(4), 325-330.
12.
Burns, N.
, & Grove, S. K. (1993). The practice of nursing research: Conduct, critique & utilization (2nd ed.). Toronto, Canada: W. B. Saunders.
13.
Bushy, A.
(1995). Harnessing the chaos in health care reform with provider-community partnerships. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 9(3), 10-19.
14.
Chenitz, W. C.
, & Swanson, J. M. (1986). From practice to grounded theory: Qualitative research in nursing. Don Mills, Canada: Addison-Wesley.
15.
Davies, B.
(1991). Long-term outcomes of adolescent sibling bereavement. Journal of Adolescent Research, 6(1), 83-96.
16.
Demi, A. S.
, & Howell, C. (1991). Hiding and healing: Resolving the suicide of a parent or sibling. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 6, 350-356.
17.
Engle, G. L.
(1961). Is grief a disease? A challenge for medical research. Psychosomatic Medicine, 23, 18-22.
18.
Ferguson, M.
(1980). The aquarian conspiracy: Personal and social transformation in our time. New York: J. P. Tarcher.
19.
Frank, A. W.
(1995). The wounded storyteller: Body, illness, and ethics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
20.
Garland, A. F.
, & Zigler, E. (1993). Adolescent suicide prevention: Current research and social policy implications. American Psychologist, 48(2), 169-181.
21.
Gartrell, J. W.
, Jarvis, G. K., & Derksen, L. (1993). Suicidality among adolescent Alberta Indians. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 23(4), 366-373.
22.
Germain, C.
(1986). Ethnography: The method. In P. L. Munhall & C. J. Oiler (Eds.), Nursing research: Aqualitative perspective (pp. 147-162). Norwalk, CT: Appleton Century Crofts.
23.
Glaser, B.
(1978). Theoretical sensitivity. Mill Valley, CA: Sociology Press.
24.
Glaser, B.
, & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine.
25.
Grant Kalischuk, R. (1999). Healing within families following youth suicide. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
26.
Herman, J.
(1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence from domestic abuse to political terror. New York: Basic.
27.
Jenkins, S.
(1991). Community wellness: A group empowerment model for rural America. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 1(4), 388-402.
28.
Klass, D.
, Silverman, P., & Nickman, S. (1996). Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
29.
Leenaars, A. A.
, & Lester, D. (1990). Suicide in adolescents: A comparison of Canada and the United States. Psychological Reports, 67, 867-873.
30.
Leenaars, A. A.
, Wenckstern, S., Sakinofsky, I., Dyck, R. J., Kral, M. J., & Bland, R. C. (Eds.). (1998). Suicide in Canada. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
31.
Leftwich, R. E.
(1993). Care and cure as healing processes in nursing. Nursing Forum, 28(3), 13-17.
32.
Lincoln, Y. S.
, & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
33.
Lofland, J.
, & Lofland, L. H. (1984). Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and analysis (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
34.
Low, B. P.
, & Andrews, S. F. (1990). Adolescent suicide. Medical Clinics of North America, 74(5), 1251-1264.
35.
Mannino, J. D.
(1997). Grieving days, healing days. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
36.
McGoldrick, M.
(1982). Normal families: An ethnic perspective. In F. Walsh (Ed.), Normal family processes (pp. 399-424). New York: Guilford.
Myss, C.
(1996). Anatomy of the spirit: The seven stages of power and healing. New York: Three Rivers.
39.
Myss, C.
(1997). Why people don’t heal and how they can. New York: Three Rivers.
40.
Ness, E. N.
, & Pfeffer, C. R. (1990). Sequelae of bereavement resulting from suicide. American Journal of Psychiatry, 147(3), 279-285.
41.
Norton, R. D.
(1994). Adolescent suicide: Risk factors and countermeasures. Journal of Health Education, 25(6), 358-361.
42.
Polit, D. E.
, & Hungler, B. P. (1999). Nursing research: Principles and methods (6th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott.
43.
Predeger, E.
(1996). Woman spirit: A journey into healing through art in breast cancer. Advances in Nursing Science, 18(3), 48-58.
44.
Quinn, J. F.
(1989). On healing, wholeness, and the Haelan effect. Nursing & Health Care, 10(10), 553-556.
45.
Range, L. M.
, & Calhoun, L. G. (1990). Response following suicide and other types of death: The perspective of the bereaved. Omega, 21(4), 311-320.
46.
Robinson, R.
(1989). Survivors of suicide. Van Nuys, CA: Newcastle.
47.
Rosenblatt, P. C.
(1996). Grief that does not end. In D. Klass, P. R. Silverman, & S. L. Nickman (Eds.), Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief (pp. 45-58). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
48.
Rudd, M. D.
, Dahm, P., & Rajab, M. H. (1993). Diagnostic comorbidity in persons with suicidal ideation and behavior. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150(6), 928-934.
49.
Rudestam, K. E.
(1992). Research contributions to understanding the suicide survivor. Crisis, 13(1), 41-46.
50.
Schlump-Urquhart, S. R.
(1990). Families experiencing a traumatic accident: Implications and nursing management. AACN Clinical Issues In Critical Care Nursing, 1(3), 522-534.
51.
Silverman, P. R.
, & Nickman, S. L. (1996). Concluding thoughts. In D. Klass, P. R. Silverman, & S. L. Nickman (Eds.), Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief (pp. 349-355). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
52.
Silverman, E.
, Range, L., & Overholster, J. (1994-1995). Bereavement from suicide as compared to other forms of bereavement. Omega, 30(1), 41-51.
53.
Smith, K.
, & Crawford, S. (1986). Suicidal behavior among “normal” high school students. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 16(3), 313-325.
54.
Smolin, A.
, & Guinan, J. (1993). Healing after the suicide of a loved one. Toronto, Canada: Simon & Schuster.
55.
Sommer-Rotenberg, D.
(1998). Suicide and language. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 159(3), 239-240.
56.
Spradley, J. P.
(1979). The ethnographic interview. Toronto, Canada: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College.
57.
Statistics Canada Health Statistics Division
. (1994a). Causes of death 1992.Ottawa, Canada: Minister of Industry, Science and Technology.
58.
Statistics Canada Health Statistics Division
. (1994b). Vital statistics & Indian health data. Ottawa, Canada: Medical Services Branch.
59.
Strauss, A.
, & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
60.
Strauss, A.
, & Corbin, J. (1994). Grounded theory methodology: An overview. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 273-285). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
61.
Thornton, G.
, Whittemore, K. D., & Robertson, D. U. (1989). Evaluation of people bereaved by suicide. Death Studies, 13, 119-126.
62.
Trucker, C. B.
(1992). The healing process of female incest survivors: Constructing a personal residence. IMAGE: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 24(1), 4-8.
63.
Vachon, M.
, & Stylianos, K. (1988). The role of social support in bereavement. Journal of Social Issues, 44, 175-190.
64.
Van Dongen, C. J.
(1993). Social context of postsuicide bereavement. Death Studies, 17, 125-141.
65.
von Bertalanffy, L.
(1968). General systems theory. New York: George Braziller.
66.
Watson, J.
(1999). Postmodern nursing and beyond. Edinburgh, Scotland: Churchill Livingston.
67.
Weil, A.
(1983). Health and healing: Understanding conventional and alternative medicine. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
68.
Wells-Federman, C. L.
(1996). Awakening the nurse healer within. Holistic Nursing Practice, 10(2), 13-29.
69.
White, J.
(1993). Comprehensive youth suicide prevention in Alberta: A model for understanding. Edmonton, Canada: Alberta Mental Health Division.
70.
Whitener, L.
(1995). Families and family life in rural areas. Journal of Rural Health, 11(3), 217-223.
71.
Wilkins, K.
(1996). Causes of death: How the sexes differ. Canadian Social Trends (Catalogue 11-008-XPE). Statistics Canada.
72.
Worden, J. W.
(1982). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health practitioner. New York: Springer.
73.
Wright, L. M.
, & Leahey, M. (1984). Nurses and families: A guide to family assessment and intervention. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis.
