Second victim experience in Spanish psychiatrists coping with patient suicide: A call for postvention
Losing a patient by suicide may lead to psychological distress and mid/long-term personal and professional consequences for psychiatrists, becoming second victims. The validated Spanish version of the Second Victim Experience and Support Tool (SVEST-E) questionnaire and a 30-item questionnaire creat...
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Published in | Spanish Journal of Psychiatry and Mental Health |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Spain
24.11.2023
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Losing a patient by suicide may lead to psychological distress and mid/long-term personal and professional consequences for psychiatrists, becoming second victims.
The validated Spanish version of the Second Victim Experience and Support Tool (SVEST-E) questionnaire and a 30-item questionnaire created ad-hoc was administered online to psychiatrists from all over Spain to evaluate how patient suicide affects mental health professionals.
Two hundred ninety-nine psychiatrists participated in the survey, and 256 completed the SVEST-E questionnaire. The results of the SVEST-E questionnaire revealed a negative impact of suicide on emotional and physical domains, although this seemed not to lead to work absenteeism. Most respondents desired peer support from a respected colleague and considered institutional support, although desirable, lacking. Almost 70% of surveyed stated that an employee assistance program providing free counseling to employees outside of work would be desirable. The ad-hoc questionnaire showed that up to 88% of respondents considered some suicides unavoidable, and 76% considered the suicide unexpected. Almost 60% of respondents reported no changes in the approach of patients with suicidal ideation/behavior, after losing a patient. However, up to 76% reported performing more detailed clinical evaluations and notes in the medical record. Up to 13% of respondents considered leaving or changing their job or advancing retirement after losing a patient by suicide.
After a patient's suicide, psychiatrists often suffer the feelings of second victim, impacting personal and professional areas. The study results indicate the need for postvention strategies to mitigate the negative impact of patient suicide. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 2950-2853 2950-2853 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.sjpmh.2023.11.004 |