Phenomenological analysis of grief among relatives and friends following the suicide of a significant other

Qualitative analysis opens up new possibilities for studying the experience of grief associated with the completed suicide of a loved one. The aim is to study the grief experience of people whose relatives and friends have committed a completed suicide. Materials and methods. Twenty messages from grieving family members and friends, publicly available online, were identified for phenomenological analysis. Results. The main condensed semantic meanings identified by relatives and friends included: severe emotional state, denial of death, and memories of the past. Guilt was experienced by 90% of relatives, emotional pain by 50%, and 30% of grieving individuals described a worsening of their own condition during the grieving process. Friends also experienced guilt (30% of the group), a need for support and assistance from others (40% of the group), and described their memories (60% of the group). Conclusions. The use of support forums allows grieving individuals to express emotions and seek emotional support.