Meanings of Loss Among Japanese Suicide Bereaved: Content Analysis of Open‐Ended Responses1

Although the importance of meaning‐making among suicide bereaved has been reported, the detailed contents of the process remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the content categories of sense‐making and benefit‐finding in Japanese suicide loss survivors. We conducted content analysis of respon...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJapanese psychological research Vol. 63; no. 4; pp. 288 - 296
Main Authors Kawashima, Daisuke, Kawano, Kenji
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Melbourne John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 01.10.2021
Subjects
bereavement
content analysis
Japanese
meaning‐making
suicide
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Although the importance of meaning‐making among suicide bereaved has been reported, the detailed contents of the process remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the content categories of sense‐making and benefit‐finding in Japanese suicide loss survivors. We conducted content analysis of responses to open‐ended questions in 99 participants. The results indicated that sense‐making activities comprised seven categories, including Deceased was relieved from pain and Suicide is inevitable in modern society. Benefit‐finding also comprised eight categories, such as Treat others with compassion and Live one day at a time with gratitude. The implications of the results are discussed in terms of sociocultural contexts of suicide postvention.
Bibliography:We appreciate the assistance of Sydney Koke and Tamami Matsumoto.
A component of this study was presented at the 29th World Congress of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, 19 July 2017, Kuching, Malaysia.
ISSN:0021-5368
1468-5884
DOI:10.1111/jpr.12311