Suicide bereavement support groups are a widely available format of postvention service. Although other reviews have addressed peer-led bereavement interventions, no review has focused specifically on peer-led support for people bereaved by suicide. Informed by a framework for undertaking scoping reviews, we conducted a systematic review according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Searches conducted in May 2021 of peer-reviewed literature in MEDLINE (EBSCO), CINAHL Complete (EBSCO), PsycINFO (EBSCO), EMBASE (Elsevier), AMED (EBSCO), ERIC (EBSCO), Web of Science (Core Collection), ASSIA (Proquest), and Global Index Medicus. The search was not limited by language, and all studies were included to full text screening. The search identified 10 studies conducted between 1994 and 2020 in five countries. The selected papers were subjected to quality assessment. The interventions included face-to-face groups, telephone and online groups/forums and were evaluated using a variety of methodologies, which made comparison and synthesis challenging. Thematic analysis resulted in four themes: motivation, impact, aspects of intervention which hindered/enhanced outcomes, and recommendations for the practice of peer support made by the authors. While there were methodological limitations to most studies included in this review; the studies do indicate the potential benefit of peer-led support to those bereaved through suicide. Future studies should provide a definition of ‘peer’ and a clear description of the intervention being evaluated. As the field matures there is a need for more rigorous evaluation of peer interventions with representative samples, studies that compare the impact of various types of peer interventions, and studies of the peer group processes.

Research has shown that people bereaved by suicide have an increased risk of mental health problems, suicidality and associated stigma, as well as higher rates of sick leave and increased rates of receiving disability pensions. Peer-led suicide bereavement support groups are perceived to enhance people’s recovery by enabling shared experiences with others who are bereaved in similar circumstances. The aim of the research was to explore the viewpoints of participants living in Denmark and the Republic of Ireland on these peer-led support groups. This study focused on how the participants experienced being part of the peer-led support and how the participation affected them. We conducted four focus groups, two in Denmark and two in the Republic of Ireland, and two individual interviews, involving a total of 27 people bereaved by suicide. Data were analyzed thematically. The participants’ experiences in the peer-led support groups were in contrast to what they had experienced in their daily lives. They felt alienated in daily living, as they believed that people could not comprehend their situation, which in turn led participants to search for people with similar experiences and join the peer-led support groups. While peer-led support groups may not be helpful for everyone, they created ‘supportive spaces’ that potentially affected the participants’ recovery processes, from which we generated three key themes: (i) ‘A transformative space’, describing how the peer-led support group created a place to embrace change, learning and knowledge about suicide and suicide bereavement and the making of new connections; (ii) ‘An alternative space for belonging and grieving’, describing how the participants felt allowed to and could give themselves permission to grieve; and (iii) ‘A conflicted space’ describing how it was troublesome to belong to and participate in the peer-led support groups. In conclusion, despite the two cultural settings and different organizational approaches, the experiences were comparable. Peer-led support groups can, despite being a conflicted space for some, provide supportive spaces aiding the participants’ recovery process.

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject?: The death of a client to suicide evokes a range of grief responses for mental health nurses (MHNs), which vary in intensity according to the nature of the therapeutic relationship with the deceased client. There are limited qualitative studies on the experiences of nurses working in the community and the personal or professional strategies used by nurses to cope with the death of a client by suicide. What this paper adds to existing knowledge?: Following a client suicide, MHNs were often left to carry the burden of grief alone and to care for themselves with the support of their family and colleagues. While all participants perceived the need for support following the death of a client by suicide, they were offered minimal support beyond the debriefing meetings, with their grief experience being largely unacknowledged and disenfranchised. What are the implications for practice?: MHNs and services need to establish and promote a culture of openness in which suicide is anticipated as a possible outcome, even with excellent standards of care and wherein all staff are supported and encouraged to discuss and reflect on their concerns and fears during the aftermath of a client suicide. As MHNs are often left to carry the burden of grief alone, services need to recognize the emotional cost of embodied engagement with clients and families and provide the necessary supports. Introduction: Experiencing a client's death through suicide is complex and challenging, yet limited research exists on how MHNs might deal with its aftermath.Aim: This study aimed to explore the impact and responses of MHNs to a client suicide.Method: The study design is a secondary analysis of an existing data set involving semi‐structured interview with 33 MHNs that were analysed using the principles of grounded theory. To answer the secondary question on the impact and responses of MHNs to the death of a client by suicide a subset of the data from 10 participants who experienced the death of a client by suicide were re‐analysed using thematic analysis. Ethical approval was granted by the university ethics committee.Findings: The findings identified five themes: “Hearing the news,” “Experiencing the impact of grief,” “Grieving privately” “Searching for meaning” and “Questioning practice.”Discussion: Findings highlighted that although participants perceived the need for support, they were offered minimal support beyond the debriefing meetings, with their grief experience being largely unacknowledged and disenfranchised.Implications for practice: MHN services need to promote a culture of openness wherein all MHNs are supported and encouraged to discuss their concerns and fears during the aftermath of a client suicide.

There is a growing recognition and need for more studies on groups practices and processes to develop greater insight into the helpful elements that may be distinctive to bereavement peer support groups for traumatic loss such as, suicide. Using a qualitative descriptive design, focus groups and individual interviews were conducted online and face-to-face with a purposive sample of 27 participants in Ireland and in Denmark, who were bereaved by suicided and were attending peer bereavement support groups. Data were analyzed through Thematic Analysis. The findings suggest that the group provided a safe place where people felt and nurtured a deep emotional connection, a place where people trusted themselves and others to speak the unspoken and to tell and re-tell their story without fear of consequence as well as a place where they learnt to process their loss. Findings are discussed and recommendations based on the findings are proposed.