Table 1. Characteristics of included studies.
| Barlow et al. (2010) | Constantino & Bricker (1996) | Constantino et al. (2001) | De Groot et al. (2010) | Farberow (1992) | Kovac & Range (2000) | Wittouck et. al (2014) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inclusion criteria | 1. Clients ≥18 years 2. Clients of CMHAa Suicide Service; Peer supporters: Time since bereavement ≥ 2 years |
NR | 1. Survive the suicide of a spouse 2. Clients ≥18 years English speaking |
1. First degree relatives or spouses of people who had died by suicide Loss occurs within the past 8 weeks |
NR | 1. Loss of a loved one to suicide in the past two years 2. Close to the deceased Upset by the death |
1. Loss of a loved one to suicide in the past 3 months to 2 years 2. Clients ≥18 years, Dutch speaking |
| Sample size | Total: 19 | Total: 32 | Total: 60 | Total: 122 | Total: 82 | Total: 42 | Total: 83 |
| I: 19, C: None | I:16, C:16 | I: NR, C: NR | I: 68, C: 54 | I: 60, C: 22 | I: 20, C: 22 | I: 47, C: 36 | |
| Age (years) | M = 46.9 (SD = 10) Range: 26 to 66 | M = 43 | Range: 24–70 | NSI: M = 43 (SD = 14.1), SI: M = 42 (SD = 12.1)b | 77% between 20 and 49 Range: 10 to over 60 | M = 24.0, SD = 7.3; Range: 18–46 | M = 48.6, SD = 13.3 |
| Men N (%) | 3 (18.8)c | Minorityd | 10 (21.3)e | 40 (32.8) | 23 (28.0) | 9 (21.4) | 20 (24.1) |
| Women N (%) | 13 (81.3)c | Majorityd | 37 (78.7)e | 82 (67.2) | 59 (72.0) | 33 (78.6) | 63 (75.9) |
| Relationship to deceased | Mixed: wife, husband, father, son, sister, common-law-husbandd | Spouses or partnersf | Spouses or partnersf | Mixed: 29.5% spouse, 23.8% parent, 22.1% child, 17.2% sibling, 7.4% in-law/other | Mixed: spouse, sweetheart, parent, child, sibling,other e | Not reported | Mixed: 24.1% partner, 9.6% parent, 39.7% child, 18.1% sibling, 8.5% other |
| Time since bereavement | 6 weeks to 20 years, 75% reporting deaths within the past 5 years | Not reported. | M = 10.9 (SD = 8.7), range: 1 to 27 month | Not explicitly stated; assumed to be less than 2.5 months | Less than 3 to over 24 months, 77% reporting deaths within the past 8 months | I: 13.3 (SD = 9.32) monthsC: 12.0 (SD = 6.5) months | M = 11.0 (SD = 6.1) months, Range: 3 months to 2 years |
| Characteristics of intervention | Peer support program | Bereavement group postvention | Bereavement group postvention | Family-based grief counseling program using cognitive- behavioral therapy | Bereavement group program | Writing therapy | CBT-based psychoeducational intervention |
| Type of intervention | Group intervention | Group intervention | Group intervention | Group intervention | Group intervention | Individual | Individual or group intervention |
| Duration | 4 months | 8 weeks | 8 weeks | NR | 8 weeks | 2 weeks | NR |
| Frequency of contact | Not reported. Average duration 96.8 minutes. | Once a week with a duration of 1.5 hours | Once a week with a duration of 1.5 hours | 4 sessions every 2 to 3 weeks with a duration of 2 hours | Once a week with a duration of 1.5 hours | 4 sessions with a duration of 15 minutes | 4 times with a duration of 2 hours |
| Implemented by | Trained volunteer peer supporters | Trained leader with a master’s degree in mental health nursing | Trained leader with a master’s degree in mental health nursing | Experienced psychiatric nurse | Mental health professional and trained survivor | Researcher | Clinical Psychologist |
| Characteristics of Comparison group | No comparison group | Social group postvention | Social group postvention | No intervention | No intervention or those who dropped out after one session | Writing Group | No intervention |
I = Intervention group. C = Comparison group. NR = not reported. SI = Suicide Ideators. NSI = Non Suicide Ideators.
a Canadian Mental Health Organization.
b No information about total sample available.
c Refers to n = 16 participants who are completers.
d No details reported.
e Refers to n = 47 participants who are completers.
f No frequencies reported.