Storytelling in Care: Leveraging Narrative Identity and Suicide Narratives for Advanced Suicide Risk Assessments

Abstract

Objective: To explore how integrating Narrative Identity (NI) theory and the Suicidal Narrative (SN) framework into nursing practices can enhance suicide risk assessments and therapeutic engagement, promoting resilience, hope, and recovery among patients. Methods: This study reviews existing literature on NI and SN frameworks, examining their theoretical foundations and applicability in nursing. It analyzes how these frameworks improve understanding of patient suicidality through qualitative assessment of personal narratives and identifies practical steps for implementation in clinical settings. Results: The integration of NI and SN into nursing practices has shown potential in improving the quality of suicide risk assessments. It enables nurses to gain a deeper, empathetic understanding of the factors influencing each patient’s suicidality, fostering enhanced therapeutic engagement. Challenges such as time constraints and the need for specific training in narrative techniques are identified. Conclusions: Incorporating NI and SN into nursing assessments can significantly enrich the suicide risk assessment process, providing a more nuanced and empathetic approach that focuses on individual patient stories. However, effective implementation requires overcoming several barriers, including enhancing nurse training in narrative methods and adjusting clinical workflows to accommodate more in-depth patient interactions.