A loved one’s loss to suicide can be a traumatic experience and trigger a difficult grief process, identity changes, a loss of the sense of meaning and a spiritual crisis. Spirituality and/or religiosity (S/R) can be both an important resource and a source of stigmatisation during suicide bereavement. This study aims to synthesise the extant findings about S/R during suicide bereavement in qualitative studies. After an exhaustive selection of articles, the current review utilised a total of 484 citations and seven studies. A thematic synthesis yielded five major themes related to S/R during suicide bereavement: the need to be helped by the religious community without being judged; S/R-related experience of the deceased as a figure who continues to exist; S/R experienced without a conscious choice; conscious reach towards S/R themes; not relating to S/R during suicide bereavement. These findings indicate that the role of S/R during suicide bereavement is complex and varies from providing help to serving as a source of suffering. Hence, practitioners and religious communities should be mindful of the S/R themes during suicide bereavement.
Background: Bereavement after a life partner’s suicide can be a complex experience marked by a grieving process and post-traumatic reactions. Transforming the continuing bond after such a loss is a difficult but important task. Little is known about how spirituality can function in the context of continuing bonds during suicide bereavement. This study aimed to reveal how women bereaved by their life partners‘ suicide experience a spirituality-related continuing bond with the deceased. Methods: The sample consisted of 11 women who lost their life partners due to suicide 2–5 years ago. Participants attended semi-structured interviews. Results were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Five themes were generated: Feelings towards the deceased—a tribute to his life; Spirituality provides methods to continue the bond; Continuing bonds in the context of the afterlife; Continuing bonds through spiritual experiences; Spirituality as a way to not continue the bond. Conclusions: The findings reveal the complex nature of spirituality-related experiences of continuing bonds after a life partner’s suicide. Spirituality, if important for the bereaved, influences how the continuing bonds are perceived and maintained. The postvention strategies should consider spirituality’s role in the process of grief and continuing bonds.