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. 2022 Jan 1;19(1):452.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010452.

The Reactions of Adolescents, Parents and Clinicians to Participating in Qualitative Research Interviews Regarding Adolescents Bereaved by Suicide and Other Traumatic Death

Karl Andriessen  1 , Karolina Krysinska  1 , Debra Rickwood  2 , Jane Pirkis  1
Affiliations

The Reactions of Adolescents, Parents and Clinicians to Participating in Qualitative Research Interviews Regarding Adolescents Bereaved by Suicide and Other Traumatic Death

Karl Andriessen et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

There are concerns that involving adolescents bereaved by suicide and other traumatic death in research may cause distress and harm. However, no study has investigated such bereaved adolescents' research experiences. In addition, no study has looked at the experiences of parents and clinicians as participants in adolescent suicide and traumatic death bereavement research. This study aimed to explore the short-term impact of research participation experienced by adolescents, parents, and clinicians. A total of 61 participants (adolescents, n = 17; parents, n = 12; clinicians, n = 32) filled out a short survey within two weeks of having taken part in a qualitative interview study. Data were analyzed descriptively. Most participants had experienced no distress while participating and no negative effects of participating; rather, participation was experienced as helpful for them and they would highly recommend participating in a study like this to others. A few adolescents and parents reported some distress, related to anxiety about participation and the unpleasantness of grief memories. The study clearly indicates that bereaved adolescents, parents and clinicians can safely participate in research interviews regarding their experiences of grief and help after suicide, generally valuing the opportunity to share their experience. To prevent and mitigate potential distress, training of research staff and implementation of appropriate participant distress protocols are imperative. Future studies could include longitudinal follow-up of participants to assess any longer-term consequences.

Keywords: bereavement; ethics; grief; research ethics; research participation; suicide; traumatic death.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding bodies had no role in the design of the study, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, the writing of the manuscript, and the decision to submit it for publication.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experienced level of distress.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Perceived helpfulness.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Experienced negative effects.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Recommending taking part to others.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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