Words Left Unspoken: Exploring the Unspoken Narratives of Loved Ones Supporting a Person who has Survived a Suicide Attempt

Abstract

Informal care (care provided by family/friends) is overlooked by policymakers in physical health contexts (Cruz et al., 2023), and is significantly overlooked by policymakers in mental health contexts (Eikemo, 2018). Academics, clinicians and those alike know little about the experience of informal carers, yet acknowledge that 7% of the UK population (approx. 4.9 million people) are currently providing informal care (Office for National Statistics, 2024). This thesis positions itself in the field of suicide prevention, aiming to broaden the current understanding of the experience of informal carers who provide support for a loved one following a suicide attempt. A qualitative Systematic Literature Review (Chapter 2) explores current academic understanding of the experience of carers when seeking and engaging with support provisions. The results emphasise how much is unknown about informal carers in this context, and invites researchers to rectify this. Using qualitative methodology, the empirical study presented (Chapters 1; 3-5) begins to address the identified gap in research. The study aimed to uncover and explore the unspoken narratives of informal carers who have provided care for a loved one following a suicide attempt. A convenience sample of 14 adult participants (78.6% female, 21.4% male) responded to a social media advert inviting them to participate in a semi-structured interview to talk about their experience of caregiving. The interviews were analysed using Reflective Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2019). Five main themes were identified: The Conspiracy of Silence, Unequivocally Unspoken [Narratives], A Sense of Responsibility, Making Comparisons, and Relationships with Professionals. Findings are discussed in relation to existing literature, before highlighting clinical implications and offering further invitations for research.