Whitebrook, John ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1651-3671 and Churchyard, Jamie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7551-0609 (2025) ‘You just wear a mask’: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study to explore the impacts of bereavement by suicide among peer support group members. Archives in Suicide Research. ISSN 1381-1118 (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Suicide is widely acknowledged as a pervasive global public health issue. Support for those bereaved by suicide (postvention) is a neglected area of research. Suicide loss survivors (SLS) struggle with guilt, stigma, and a drive to comprehend. This study aimed to assess the ramifications of bereavement by suicide within a cohort of peer-support group members. Data were collected using in-depth face-to-face and online semi-structured interviews. Audio-recordings of the interviews were transcribed and analysed via Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Eight people, recruited from a UK Peer Support Group, participated. Five Group Experiential Themes emerged: decohesion of life; ‘You just wear a mask’; perpetual psychological conflicts; persistent underlying frustration with ‘the system’; the beacon of peer support. Findings provide insights into the mindset of a cross-section of those bereaved by suicide and the all-encompassing, pervasive, life-shattering consequences of becoming a SLS. These include the duality of their inner torment and public persona, perpetual possession of conflicting thoughts and perspectives, and alienation. A unique level of comprehension as to the power of peer-support groups is also outlined. Implications for practice include the signposting of postvention services requiring enhancement and the vital role played by peer-support groups in assisting those impacted.

Item Type:	Article
Identifier:	10.1080/13811118.2025.2542581
Additional Information:	This is an original manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in The Archives of Suicide Research on 06-Aug-2025, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2025.2542581. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
Keywords:	Bereavement; peer support; postvention; suicide loss survivor
Subjects:	Psychology
Depositing User:	Jamie Churchyard
Date Deposited:	06 Mar 2024 15:37
Last Modified:	21 Aug 2025 08:00
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/11256

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