"Like climbing a glass wall": Suicide survivors in an Italian province

The study contributed to understanding suicide grief by focusing on suicide survivors' subjective experience combined with attention to social settings that influenced their interpretations. We interviewed 25 survivors and analyzed field notes from 47 meetings of a suicide support group. We documented the unfolding of typical forms of meaning reconstructions that helped survivors redefine their situation. These forms included searching for reconciliation with the deceased individuals; attempting to tame the tendency to self-blame; and making an effort to reframe social relationships. The support group functioned as a defining agency that assisted the survivors' interpretations and contributed to overcoming conflicting feelings. Suicide survivors experience enduring distress related to the suicide of a significant other (e.g., a family member, relative, friend, acquaintance, or colleague). We reasoned that a symbolic-interactionist perspective might also provide a valuable contribution to understanding loss and grief. Regarding suicide bereavement, the survivors’ interpretations are crucial for illuminating how the grieving process unfolds and impacts their identity within their personal and social spheres. We aimed to understand how survivors perceived and handled suicide events, how their identity changed, and what difficulties they encountered in their social circles. Our additional goal was to identify how the survivors’ involvement in mutual aid groups influenced their grieving process, with our main focus on the stories of participants in a suicide-specific group.