Edwin S. Shneidman (On the Nature of Suicide, 1969) proposed that 6-8 people are significantly affected by every suicide. This has generally become accepted as a benchmark in suicide prevention/postvention, but does not seem to have been the subject of much research. This "ground zero" for suicide loss comprises all or some of the victim's closest family and friends, which made up her/his social network in life. Communications theory studies social networks and one model (see link below for example) conceptualizes a "support clique" with about 5 members with very frequent contact with an individual and a "sympathy group" of about 12-15 people with at least monthly contact. Has any of the communications work been used in studies of suicide survivors?
Article Exploring variation in active network size: Constraints and ...
Tony - It all depends. See Jordan (2008) below for a useful analysis. My own working figure (family, wider/extended family, friends, neighbours, work/school colleagues, others) is up to 60.
http://www.johnjordanphd.com/pdf/pub/Jordan_Bereavment%20.pdf
Could be difficult to validate research since memory - short/medium/long term - alters over time. All best. Philip O'Keeffe PhD
http://www.johnjordanphd.com/pdf/pub/Jordan_Bereavment%20.pdf
Dear Tony,
Perhaps you find something useful in these papers:
Attachment, continuing bonds, and complicated grief following violent loss: testing a moderated model. Currier JM, Irish JE, Neimeyer RA, Foster JD.
Death Stud. 2015 Apr;39(4):201-10.
BMC Public Health. 2015 Jun 2;15:525. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-1867-2.
Intervenable factors associated with suicide risk in transgender persons: a respondent driven sampling study in Ontario, Canada.
Bauer GR, Scheim AI, Pyne J, Travers R, Hammond R.
Suicide risk in type 1 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review.
Pompili M, Forte A, Lester D, Erbuto D, Rovedi F, Innamorati M, Amore M, Girardi P.
J Psychosom Res. 2014 May;76(5):352-60. You can give me your email address on message board so I can send you a paper of mine.
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