Religion and Spirituality in Online Suicide Bereavement
An Analysis of Online Memorials
Abstract
Background: Religion and spirituality can be valuable resources in coping with bereavement. There is a paucity of studies focusing specifically on their role in suicide bereavement, although there are indications that religion/spirituality can be helpful for suicide survivors. Aims: The study explores the role of religion and/or spirituality in suicide bereavement by analyzing this theme in online memorials dedicated to suicide victims. Method: We randomly selected 250 memorials in two online cemeteries: Faces of Suicide and Gone too Soon. Interpretative and deductive thematic analysis was used to identify themes in the collected material, including the theme of religion/spirituality. Results: References to religion/spirituality were found in 14% of memorials. These memorials were written by family members, friends, and (ex-)partners of the deceased and were dedicated mostly to young adult males. Religion/spirituality was mentioned in the context of God’s will, peace wish, continuation of the spirit, afterlife, reunion, gratitude, description of the deceased, and grief reactions of suicide survivors. Conclusion: Some suicide survivors spontaneously mention the role of religious/spiritual beliefs in coping with their loss. Future studies could explore which subgroups of the bereaved are likely to turn to these resources, and whether they can contribute to the well-being of the suicide survivors.
References
(1972). The savage God: A study of suicide. New York, NY: Random House.
(2007). Do religious or spiritual beliefs influence bereavement? A systematic review. Palliative Medicine, 21(3), 207–217.
(2011). Estimating the population of survivors of suicide: Seeking an evidence base. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 41(1), 110–116.
(2004). Relationship differences in AIDS memorials. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 49(1), 27–42.
(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
(1997). Changing the legacy of suicide. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 27(4), 329–338.
(2000). Suicide-bereaved children and adolescents: II. Parental and family functioning. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 39(4), 437–444.
(2011). How the Internet is changing the experience of bereavement by suicide: A qualitative study in the UK. Health, 15(2), 173–187.
(2011). The role of spirituality and religion for those bereaved due to a traumatic death. Mortality, 16(1), 1–19.
(2013). Bereavement, religion, and posttraumatic growth: A matched control group investigation. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 5(2), 69.
(2007). Religion in Europe in the 21st century: The factors to take into account. European Journal of Sociology, 47(2), 271–296.
(2012). Maintaining relational continuity with the deceased on Facebook. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 65(3), 195–212.
(2012). Virtual memorials and cyber funerals: Contemporary expressions of ageless experiences. In , Dying, death, and grief in an online universe. For counselors and educators (pp. 135–148). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
(2004). Memorializing loved ones on the World Wide Web. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 49(1), 5–26.
(2000) Religie en kerkbetrokkenheid: Ambivalentie en vervreemding [Religion and church involvement: Ambivalence and alienation]. In , Verloren zekerheid: De Belgen en hun waarden, overtuigingen en houdingen [Lost certainty: The Belgians and their values, convictions, and attitudes] (pp. 117–152). Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo.
(1989). Disenfranchised grief. Recognizing hidden sorrow. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
(2013). Religious and spiritual struggles. In , Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (2nd ed., pp. 380–398). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
(2008). Internet support groups for suicide survivors: A new mode for gaining bereavement assistance. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 57(3), 217–243.
(2011). A space for mothers: Grief as identity construction on memorial websites created by SIDS Parents. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 63(1), 21–44.
(2002). Patterns of complicated grief among bereaved parents. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 45(2), 119–132.
(2011). The sequelae of suicide. In , International handbook of suicide prevention: Research, policy and practice (pp. 561–577). Chichester, UK: Wiley Blackwell.
(2012). The role of social networking sites in memorialization of college students. In , Dying, death, and grief in an online universe. For counselors and educators (pp. 31–46). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
(2001). Cyber community in the valley of the shadow of death. Journal of Loss & Trauma, 6(2), 135–146.
(2012). The centrality of religiosity scale. Religions, 3, 710–724.
(2009). Obituaries online: New connections with the living and the dead. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 60(3), 255–271.
(2011). Is suicide bereavement different? A framework for rethinking the question. In , Grief after suicide: understanding the consequences and caring for the survivors (pp. 19–42). New York, NY: Routledge.
(2013). New places of remembrance: Individual web memorials in the Netherlands. Death Studies, 38(5), 283–293. doi:10.1080/07481187.2012.742474
(1996). Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
(2010). On-line support and resources for people bereaved through suicide: What is available? Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 40(6), 640–650.
(2013). Suicide bereavement online. Sharing memories, seeking support, and exchanging hope. In , Suicide prevention and new technologies. Evidence based practice (pp. 150–165). New York, NY: Palgrave-Macmillan.
(in press). Online memorialization and grief after suicide: An analysis of suicide memorials on the Internet. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying.
(2012). Bereavement after suicide: A study of memorials on the Internet. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 65(3), 189–194.
(2013). Cause of death and the quest for meaning after the loss of a child. Death Studies, 37(4), 311–342.
(2013). Still part of the family: The importance of physical, emotional and spiritual memorial places and spaces for parents bereaved through the suicide death of their son or daughter. Mortality, 18(1), 54–71.
(2012). Death and grief on-line: Virtual memorialization and changing concepts of childhood death and parental bereavement on the Internet. Health Sociology Review, 21(4), 413–431.
(2003). Finding meaning in a child’s violent death: A five-year prospective analysis of parents’ personal narratives and empirical data. Death Studies, 27(5), 381–404.
(2006–2007). Bereavement, gender, and cyberspace: A content analysis of parents’ memorials to their children. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 54(4), 263–279.
(2004). Memorializing on the World Wide Web: Patterns of grief and attachment in adult daughters of deceased mothers. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 49(1), 43–56.
(2011). Meaning reconstruction in bereavement: From principles to practice. In , Grief and bereavement in contemporary society: Bridging research and practice (pp. 9–22). New York, NY: Routledge.
(2013). The religious dimension of coping: Advances in theory, research, and practice. In , Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (2nd ed., pp. 560–579). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
(1999). Tangible sorrow, virtual tributes: Cemeteries in cyberspace. In , End of life issues: interdisciplinary and multidimensional perspectives (pp. 337–358). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
(2004). The living and the dead: Community in the virtual cemetery. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 49(1), 57–76.
(2000). Perpetual care in cyberspace: A portrait of memorials on the web. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 40(4), 521–546.
(1996). Suicide survivors groups: Results of a survey. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 26(4), 351–358.
(1996). Religious beliefs, affiliations, and practices of clinical psychologists. In , Religion and the clinical practice of psychology (pp. 149–162). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
(1992). The effects of religion and social support on self-esteem and depression among the suddenly bereaved. Social Indicators Research, 26(3), 259–275.
(1993). The course of normal grief. In , Handbook of bereavement: Theory, research, and intervention (pp. 23–43). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
(1991). Belief in afterlife as a buffer in suicidal and other bereavement. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 24(3), 217–225.
(2004). Commentary: Religion in coping with bereavement: Confidence of convictions or scientific scrutiny? The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 14(1), 23–36.
. (2004). After a suicide: Recommendations for religious services and other public memorial observances. Newton, MA: Education Development Center, Inc.
(2010). Online mutual support in bereavement: An empirical examination. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1519–1525.
(2009). The religious life during suicide bereavement: A description. Death Studies, 33(8), 741–761.
(2011). The perceived roles of God during suicide bereavement. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 39(2), 155–162.
(2011–2012). Does the Internet change how we die and mourn? Overview and analysis. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 64(4), 275–302.
(2005). Couples at risk following the death of their child: Predictors of grief versus depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(4), 617–623.
(2009). Adolescents’ online social networking following the death of a peer. Journal of Adolescent Research, 24(1), 67–90.
(2008). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health practitioner (4th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
. (2012). Public health action for the prevention of suicide: A framework. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO Press.
(2008). Religion and spirituality in adjustment following bereavement: An integrative review. Death Studies, 32(8), 703–736.
(2009). Religion/spirituality and change in meaning after bereavement: Qualitative evidence for the meaning making model. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 14(1), 17–34.
