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ISSN : 1229-0688
This study explored young adults’ experiences of peer suicide bereavement, focusing on individuals in their twenties who have been exposed to a peer’s suicide. To this end, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 young adults who had experienced a peer suicide, and the collected data were analyzed using Van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological approach. The study identified a total of 118 semantic concepts, which were categorized into 23 subthemes and 9 essences. The essences included: (1) ‘facing the unfamiliarity of death,’ (2) ‘guilt and sadness of survivors,’ (3) ‘sadness for lost youth,’ (4) ‘burden of death as taboo,’ (5) ‘anger at society,’ (6) ‘withdrawing from relationships to protect oneself,’ (7) ‘increased sensitivity to the suffering of others,’ (8) ‘staying in the present,’ and (9) ‘comradeship: feeling connected to contemporaries.’ The implications of this study for understanding young adults’ experiences of peer suicide bereavement, along with recommendations for future research are discussed.
