Project Summary:
Experiencing a suicide loss is a traumatic event that affects the trajectory of a person’s life. It is estimated that for every suicide that occurs, approximately 135 individuals are affected. In 2022, 929 individuals died by suicide in Wisconsin, which means that over 125,000 people across the state experienced suicide loss in that one year alone. This includes individuals who were close to the deceased and experience long-term bereavement as well as those who grieve for a shorter period. There are a number of negative mental health outcomes associated with experiencing a suicide loss, including prolonged and complicated grief, psychological distress, post-traumatic stress, social stigma, and even suicidal thoughts and behaviors (including attempted suicide). Providing timely and effective support to survivors of suicide loss is essential to mitigate the effect of this experience and has the potential to save lives.
Since 2022, the Division of Suicide Research and Healing (DSRH) in the Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin (CIC-MCW) has been implementing an active postvention outreach program, called MKE L.O.S.S. (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors). This program provides support, resources, and resource navigation, to suicide loss survivors living in Milwaukee County. Since the inception of this program the MKE LOSS team has provided over 450 resource packets, and engaged 82 Milwaukee County residents in support, including resource navigation and follow up for 12 months.
Through the work of MKE L.O.S.S., the project team has identified several key gaps in resources and support for local suicide loss survivors. In particular, there is a lack of resources for youth who have experienced the suicide loss of a family member, friend, or close loved one. Of resources requested by adults engaged with the MKE L.O.S.S. team, 19% request services for their children or other young family members, and often for multiple children within the family. Of those requesting services for youth after a suicide loss, more than half (58%) are non-white. As a majority of those served by MKE L.O.S.S. services are White, this data indicates a racial disparity in youth suicide loss survivors who need support but may not be able to access it. While there are local grief programs available for youth, often these programs do not have the capacity or programming to provide the unique response that suicide loss survivors need. For example, these programs would group youth who are suicide loss survivors with youth experiencing other types of grief (e.g., loss of a parent due to cancer). As noted, suicide loss is a unique bereavement experience that can be fraught with guilt, stigma, and even suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Grouping youth who are suicide loss survivors with other bereaved youth may not be appropriate and could potentially inhibit their path to recovery. In fact, several MKE L.O.S.S. participants have stated the incongruency of these programs with the needs of their children, but with limited other options.
The purpose of this mixed methods project is to gather data to help fill this gap in services for youth bereaved by suicide in Milwaukee County. Specifically, the project team will pilot and evaluate a new support group curriculum that will be delivered to youth who are suicide loss survivors. This support group will be delivered in a book club format by trained facilitators using a curriculum developed by a local mental health advocate and trauma survivor. The researchers expect that participating in this facilitated support group with peers who have also experienced suicide loss will promote meaning-making and a sense of belonging in the aftermath of this traumatic loss. Data collected through this project will support the submission of a larger R01 funding proposal to NIH to scale up implementation of this work and test whether this type of support group activity for suicide-bereaved youth yields more positive mental health outcomes than standard grief programming.
Collaborator: Milwaukee Center for Children and Youth