Experiences of Bereaved Families by Suicide in South Korea: A Phenomenological Study

When an individual commits suicide, family members frequently experience feeling of hurt, denial, shock and anger, resentment, shame, and guilt. These negative emotions experienced by family survivors make their life suffer and impede the grieving process. If left untreated, they become physically and psychologically vulnerable and the risk of suicidal ideation is high, so professional intervention is needed. This study aimed to explore the experiences of suicidally bereaved families in South Korea. This research was designed to a qualitative phenomenological study conducted by using Colaizzi’s methods. Participants were seven individuals who had lost a family member to suicide in Changwon City, South Korea. The Data were collected through in-depth and individual interviews with participants from June to December 2018, and the interviews took place 1 to 15 months after their loss. A total of 25 meaning units, 12 themes, and 5 theme clusters emerged from the analysis. The 5 themes of south Korean bereaved families’ experience were: (1) an absurd breakup that came without notice, (2) a life trapped in pain, (3) family isolation by themselves, (4) uncontrolled mind in daily life, and (5) liberating from the bondage of pain. The findings of this study provide insight regarding how suicide loss affects bereaved families and could inform the development of evidence-based programs to prevention suicide thought experienced by bereaved families.