The impact of relationship type and closeness on mental health following suicide loss

Background: Most research investigating the effect of suicide on loss survivors has been limited to first-degree family members. Few studies examine the impact of suicide on others outside the immediate family and the influence of relationship type and closeness on mental health.

Methods: This study used data from a sample obtained through random digit dialing (n = 805) to assess exposure to suicide loss, relationship types, perceived closeness, and mental health symptoms (prolonged grief, depression, anxiety,and posttraumatic stress disorder).

Results: Familial status, friend status, and higher perceived closeness were associated with prolonged grief, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder, with the strongest adjusted associations observed for posttraumatic stress disorder and prolonged grief. In general, the magnitude of adjusted standardized associations for closeness and mental health symptoms was stronger than those observed for familial status and mental health symptoms and friend status and mental health symptoms.

Conclusion: Closeness, familial status, and friend status are associated with mental health symptoms experienced after suicide loss, but the magnitude of associations was strongest for closeness. Future studies should examine perceived closeness in addition to other factors related to relationship type and dynamics to assess the complexities of suicide bereavement reactions.