Family resiliency following an adolescent’s suicide: The effect of first responders and how they can help families cope
The suicide of an adolescent is a shock to the entire family. First responders, such as police, firefighters, and paramedics, interact with survivors during the crisis period and their interventions and attitudes towards the suicide and the bereaved can influence how the family grieves. Following research aimed at understanding family resiliency after the suicide of an adolescent, a secondary analysis of interviews was done to look at the impact of first responders on the grieving process of the members (n = 17) of the seven families who had participated in the research. The results show that encounters with first responders affect the level of catastrophe created by the suicide, which can influence the resiliency process. First responders should be aware that this is the case and the services they provide should be re-examined to ensure that they assist survivors and help increase their resilience.