Child survivors of suicide: Psychosocial characteristics

Abstract

Objective: To describe psychosocial characteristics of children and young adolescents who experienced the recent suicidal death of a parent or sibling. Method: Sixteen families with children aged 5 years to 14 years and who experienced the suicidal death of a relative on average within the year of research assessment were recruited from the community and evaluated with standard research instruments for levels of children's psychiatric symptoms and social adjustment. Results: Child survivors of suicide had a higher rate of internalizing symptoms and poorer school adjustment than a standard community sample. Twenty-five percent of the families had children who reported clinically significant symptoms of depression. Approximately 40% of the families included children who reported at least moderate symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Approximately 31% of families had at least one child who reported suicidal ideation, but no child reported a suicide attempt. Significant associations were identified between psychosocial features of the children and parental psychiatric symptoms and stressful life events. Conclusion: Child survivors of suicide are at risk for psychiatric symptoms and social maladjustment which require early identification and preventive intervention to minimize risk for more extensive psychosocial morbidity.