Bakgrund: Var 40:e sekund avslutar en människa sitt liv. Kvar lämnas många efterlevande som drabbas av en komplicerad sorg med ökad risk för fysisk och psykisk ohälsa samt suicidala beteenden. Efterlevande drabbas även av ensamhet och kan känna sig alienerade från sina sociala nätverk. Suicidrelaterad sorg leder ofta till ohälsosamma coping-beteenden samt skuld och skamkänslor. Syfte: Att beskriva efterlevandes erfarenheter av sorgen efter suicid av en närstående. Metod: En litteraturstudie baserad på kvalitativa artiklar. Artiklarna hittades i databaserna Cinahl och PsycInfo och kvalitetsgranskades med hjälp av en kvalitetsgranskningsmall utvecklad på Högskolan Väst. Resultat: Resultatet gav upphov till två huvudkategorier med tre subkategorier vardera. ”Sorgens många ansikten” med subkategorierna ”Den initiala chocken – Sorgens brutalitet”, ”Under ytan – Sorgens djup” och ”Obesvarade frågor – Sorgens ovisshet”, samt ”Livets vara eller icke vara” med subkategorierna ”Att hantera det obegripliga”, ”Skuldtyngda relationer” och ”Den suicidala spiralen”. Resultatet visar tydligt komplexiteten och djupet i de efterlevandes erfarenheter av sorgen. Dessa sträcker sig från chocken i sorgens initiala faser, till mer långsiktiga existentiella frågeställningar och funderingar i kampen med att hantera det obegripliga.  Konklusion: Studiens resultat visar att sorgens tidiga skeden präglas av chock, förvirring, smärta och svårigheter för den efterlevande att finna mening och begriplighet i situationen. I senare faser beskriver många efterlevande erfarenheter av existentiella frågeställningar, skuld och skam, kvarvarande frågor kring varför, samt ohälsosamma sätt att hantera sin sorg. De efterlevandes personliga beskrivningar av sina erfarenheter och känslor kan sannolikt ge människovårdande professioner viktiga insikter som kan vägleda dem i möten med målgruppen. / Background: Every 40th second someone commits suicide, leaving behind many survivors of suicide (SOS). SOS face complicated grief, with increased risk for physical and mental health issues and suicidal behaviours. SOS often feel lonely and alienated from their social networks. Suicide related grief often leads to unhealthy coping behaviours and feelings of guilt and shame. Aim: To depict SOS experiences of grief after the suicide of a loved one.  Method: A literature review based on qualitative articles. These were found using the databases Cinahl and PsycInfo. Their quality was examined with a template developed at University West. Results: Two main categories emerged, with three subcategories each. “The many faces of grief” with the subcategories “The initial shock – The brutality of sorrow”, “Below the surface – The depths of despair” and “Questions unanswered – The uncertainty of grief”, together with “To live or not to live” with the subcategories “Managing the unfathomable”, “Guilt strained relationships” and “The suicidal spiral”. The findings depict the complexity and profoundness of the SOS experiences. These range from the initial shock to more long-term, existential questions in the struggle to manage the unfathomable.  Conclusion: The findings show that earlier stages of grief are characterized by shock, confusion, pain, and difficulties finding meaning in the situation. In later phases SOS often experience existential questions, guilt and shame, lingering questions regarding why and unhealthy methods of dealing with grief. Personal records of SOS experiences and emotions can likely grant important insights to health professionals in their encounters with the targetgroup.

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PhD (Gender Studies) / Institute for Gender and Youth Studies / Suicidal behavior has become a serious public health concern worldwide. Globally, the rate of suicide increased by 60% in the past years. In South Africa, about 9.5 % of nonnatural deaths in young people is due to suicidal behavior, and there are 667 deaths due to suicide every month (Birmingham & Solihull, 2012). Suicide has left a trail of psychological problems which impact negatively on the health and well-being of people. Worldwide, there is a gender difference in suicidal behaviour. Women have higher rates of suicide attempt while men are more likely to commit suicide (Cheong, Choi, Cho, Yoon, Kim & Hwang, 2012). Most studies focus on suicide while suicide attempt has been neglected in scholarship. As a result, there is very little attention to how gender influences suicidal behavior in society. This exploratory study sought to explore the phenomenon of suicide attempt among young female suicide survivors at Tshilidzini Regional Hospital in Vhembe District in the Limpopo Province in South Africa. The study approach was qualitative in nature and the study population comprised of all young female suicide survivors and all family members who often accompanied patients to the hospital. Nonprobability convenience sampling technique was used to select the study participants. The study sample consisted of 20 participants (10 young female suicide survivors and 10 family members). Ethical considerations were taken into account to protect the participants. In-depth face-to-face unstructured interviews and focus group discussion were used as a method of data collection. Content analysis was used for analysing data in this study. The study found that suicidal behaviour by young females was mainly due to intimate relationship problems. The study recommended the development and use an effective suicide screening tool and a multi-pronged strategy to curb incidences of suicidal behaviour by young females. / NRF