Rural suicide in Newfoundland and Labrador: A qualitative exploration of health care providers' perspectives.

INTRODUCTION: Residents of rural regions may have higher and unique suicide risks. Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) is a Canadian province replete with rural regions. Despite an abundance of rural suicide research, heterogeneity in rural regions may preclude amalgamating findings to inform prevention efforts. Thus, exploring the unique needs of NL is needed. Importantly, health care providers (HCP) may afford unique perspectives on the suicide-related needs or concerns of rural life. We asked HCPs of residents of rural NL their perceived suicide risk factors, concerns, and needs for rural NL. METHOD: Twelve HCPs of rural residents of NL completed virtual semi-structured interviews. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis [13,14]. RESULTS: HCPs noted individual, psychological, social, and practical factors linked to rural-suicide risk and subsequent needs. Findings highlight the unique challenges of residing and providing health care in rural NL and inform prevention and intervention efforts.

Embodied meaning making: Memorial tattoos as a visual expression of grief.

Memorial tattoos are an increasingly prevalent response to the death of a loved one. This study explored the role of memorial tattoos as an active response to loss and a visual expression of grief. Twenty-two people with memorial tattoos volunteered to be interviewed and to have photographs taken of their tattoos. Through a grounded theory analysis, the core category emerged that memorial tattoos were an expression of embodied meaning making in the grief experience. Under this core category, the themes of creating permanence, constructing control, and symbolizing the bond further elucidated the meaning making process represented in memorial tattoos.

How age-of-death and mode-of-death impact perceptions of the deceased.

The goal of the current study was to explore how age-of-death (AOD) and mode-of-death MOD simultaneously influence ratings of sympathy, empathy, and tragedy toward the deceased in order to assess social value. Three hundred and fifty-eight participants, mainly undergraduates, responded to a series of vignettes that described a MOD (suicide, accident, or stroke) counterbalanced with three AODs (younger, middle-aged, and older). Overall, ratings of sympathy, empathy, and tragedy declined as AOD increased; however, the effect of AOD was not consistent across all MODs. The pattern of results suggests that death norms and perceived control of death impact the perception of the deceased.

Meaning-making after partner suicide: A narrative exploration using the meaning of loss codebook.

This study explored meaning-making in the narratives of survivors of partner suicide. The 117 posts of 50 users of a public online grief support forum were analyzed using the Meaning of Loss Codebook (MLC; Gillies, Neimeyer, & Milman, 2014 ). There was evidence of substantial psychological distress and an ongoing struggle to make meaning of the death, in addition to focusing on memories, longing for the deceased, and efforts to actively cope with the loss. Given the importance of meaning-making in the adjustment to loss, and through the application of the MLC, these findings deepen the understanding of this component of grief.

University students' perspectives on a psychology of death and dying course: exploring motivation to enroll, goals, and impact.

This study provides an in-depth investigation of the motivations, goals, and impact on 23 university students enrolled in a Psychology of Death and Dying course. Through a grounded theory analysis of precourse perspective and postcourse reflection assignments, several key themes emerged. Participants were motivated to enroll in the course by their self-identified lack of knowledge on the topic and its professional and personal relevance. They identified three main course goals: cognitive comfort, preparation to support others, and personal growth. At the end of the course, participants noted heightened awareness of personal mortality and increased comfort with death-related topics, as well as reduced fear, surprise at the depth of the thanatology field, and enriched context for their experiences with death and dying. The implications of the results for death educators, researchers, and students are discussed.