Measuring What Outcomes Matters Most to People When Accessing Suicide Postvention Support: A Qualitative Study

Funding for suicide postvention services, which provide support after a suicide death, has increased in Australia and globally. This rise accompanies a need to demonstrate outcomes of support. However, articulating and quantifying these outcomes presents ethical and logistical challenges. Funders' priorities may differ from those of service users. To discern the value and explore effective measurement of postvention outcomes, focus groups were conducted with postvention staff and lived experience representatives from an Australian postvention service. Transcripts were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Results highlighted the complex context of measuring outcomes in suicide postvention and emphasized the need for flexible approaches to service provision and outcome measurement. The study suggests that the most significant benefits, as perceived by participants, are the ‘fow-on’ effects of postvention. It supports the notion that outcome measures require careful consideration, with trade-offs evaluated to understand what is truly valuable in suicide postvention services.