Within the context of their grieving families, this grounded theory study explored survivors' experiences of healing following youth suicide. The major theme developed in this study, Journeying Toward Wholeness, is conceptualized as a process involving the inter-relationships among three sub-themes: Grieving in Response to Youth Suicide, Mourning in Response to Youth Suicide, and Healing in Response to Youth Suicide. Initially, grieving, mourning, and healing occur within individual and family realms. Theoretically congruent with systems theory, this mid-range grounded theory suggests that grieving, mourning, and healing are embedded within a broader social context. This theory purports that grieving, mourning, and healing are related, dynamic, and seamless processes influencing each person's journey toward wholeness following youth suicide. This theory supplements the basis of holistic practice, directs us to accept a broad range of survivors' expressions of movement towards wholeness and health, stresses the importance of working with survivors' stories, and encourages us in relational practice.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AchterbergJ. (1990). Woman as healer.Boston, MA: Shambhala.
2.
ArnoldJ. (1996). Rethinking grief: Nursing implication for health promotion. Home Healthcare Nurse, 14(10), 777–783.
3.
AttigT. (1996). How we grieve Relearning the world.New York: Oxford University Press.
4.
AverillJ. R. (1968). Grief: Its nature and significance. Psychological Bulletin, 70(6), 721–748.
5.
BailleyS.KralM., & DunhamK. (1999). Survivors of suicide do grieve differently: Empirical support for a common sense proposition. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 29(3), 256–271.
6.
BradachK. M., & JordanJ. R. (1995). Long-term effects of a family history of traumatic death on adolescent individuation. Death Studies, 19, 315–336.
7.
Burke DrauckerC., & PetrovicK. (1996). Healing of adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. IMAGE: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 28(4), 325–330.
8.
BurnellG. M., & BurnellA. L. (1989). Clinical management of bereavement: A handbook for healthcare professionals.New York: Human Sciences.
9.
ClarkeS. P., & CossetteS. (2000). Secondary analysis: Theoretical, methodological, and practical considerations. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 23(3), 109–129.
10.
CoppG. (1998). A review of current theories of death and dying. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 28(2), 382–390.
11.
CowlesK. V., & RodgersB. L. (1991). The concept of grief: A foundation for nursing research and practice. Research in Nursing and Health, 14(2), 119–127.
12.
DemiA. S., & HowellC. (1991). Hiding and healing: Resolving the suicide of a parent or sibling. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 6, 350–356.
13.
DombeckM. B. (1995). Dream telling: A means of spiritual awareness. Holistic Nursing Practice, 9(2), 37–47.
14.
DoyleD. (1994). Grief and bereavement. In FowlerG.HaslerJ.HaydenJ.HeathI. & WilkinsonC. (Eds.), Domicilary palliative care: A guide for the primary care team (pp. 113–120). New York: Oxford University Press.
15.
EdwardsM. (1997). Being present: Experiential connections between Zen Buddhist practices and the grieving process. Disability and Rehabilitation, 19(10), 442–451.
16.
FergusonM. (1980). The Aquarian conspiracy: Personal and social transformation in our time.New York: J. P. Tarcher.
17.
FontanaA., & FreyJ. H. (1994). Interviewing: The art of science. In DenzinN. K. & LincolnY. S. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 361–376). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
18.
FrankA. W. (1995). The wounded storyteller: Body, illness, and ethics.Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
19.
FranklV. E. (1984). Man's search for meaning.Toronto, ON: Washington Square.
20.
FrantzT.FarrellM., & TrolleyB. (2001). Positive outcomes of losing a loved one. In NeimeyerR. A. (Ed.), Meaning reconstruction & the experience of loss (pp. 191–209). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
21.
GlaserB. G. (1978). Theoretical sensitivity.Mill Valley, CA: Sociology Press.
22.
GlaserB. G. (1992). Basics of grounded theory analysis: Emergence vs forcing.Mill Valley, CA: Sociology Press.
23.
Grant KalischukR., & DaviesB. (2001). A theory of healing in the aftermath of youth suicide: Implications for holistic nursing practice. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 19(2), 163–186.
24.
HaigR. A. (1990). The anatomy of grief: Biopsychological and therapeutic perspectives.Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
25.
HartrickG. (2002). Beyond interpersonal communication: The significance of relationship in health promotion practice. In YoungL. E. & HayesV. E. (Eds.), Transforming health promotion practice: Concepts, issues, and applications (pp. 49–58). Philadelphia: F. A. Davis.
26.
HermanJ. (1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence From domestic abuse to political terror.New York: Basic.
27.
JordanJ. R. (2001). Is suicide bereavement different? A reassessment of the literature. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 31(1), 91–102.
28.
Kagawa-SingerM. (1998). The cultural context of death rituals and mourning practices. Oncology Nursing Forum, 25(10), 1752–1756.
29.
KatzR., & St. DenisV. (1991). Teacher as healer. Journal of Indigenous Studies, 2(2), 24–36.
30.
KlassD.SilvermanP., & NickmanS. (1996). Continuing bonds New understandings of grief.Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
31.
Kübler-RossE. (1969). On death and dying.New York: Macmillan.
32.
LeenaarsA. A.WencksternS.SakinofskyI.DyckR. J.KralM. J., & BlandR. C. (Eds.) (1998). Suicide in Canada.Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.
33.
LehmanD. R.WortmanC. B., & WilliamsA. F. (1987). Long-term effects of losing a spouse or child in a motor vehicle crash. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(1), 218–231.
34.
LincolnY. S., & GubaE. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry.Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
35.
MarroneR. (1999). Dying, mourning, and spirituality: A psychological perspective. Death Studies, 23, 495–519.
36.
MarroneR. (1997). Death, mourning and caring.Toronto, ON: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
37.
MartocchioB. C. (1985). Grief and bereavement: Healing through hurt. Nursing Clinics of North America, 20(2), 327–341.
38.
MarwitS. J., & KlassD. (1996). Grief and the role of the inner representation of the deceased. In KlassD.SilvermanP. R., & NickmanS. L. (Eds.), Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief (pp. 297–309). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
39.
McGoldrickM. (1982). Normal families: An ethnic perspective. In WalshF. (Ed.), Normal family processes (pp. 399–424). New York: Guilford.
40.
MyssC. (1996). Anatomy of the spirit: The seven stages of power and healing.New York: Three Rivers.
41.
MyssC. (1997). Why people don't heal and how they can.New York: Three Rivers.
42.
NeimeyerR. A.KeeseeN. J., & FortnerB. V. (2000). Loss and meaning reconstruction: Propositions and procedures. In MalkinsonR. & RubinS. S. (Eds.), Traumatic and nontraumatic loss and bereavement: Clinical theory and practice (pp. 197–230). Madison, CT: Psychological Press.
43.
NeimeyerR. (1998). Lessons of loss: A guide to coping.New York: McGraw Hill.
44.
NeimeyerR. (2000). Searching for the meaning of meaning: Grief therapy and the process of reconstruction. Death Studies, 24, 541–558.
45.
NeimeyerR. (2001a). Reauthoring life narratives: Grief therapy as meaning reconstruction. Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, 38(3–4), 171–183.
46.
NeimeyerR. A. (2001b). The language of loss: Grief therapy as a process of reconstruction. In NeimeyerR. A. (Ed.), Meaning reconstruction & the experience of loss (pp. 261–292). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
47.
NoppeI. C. (2000). Beyond broken bonds and broken hearts: The bonding of theories of attachment and grief. Developmental Review, 20, 514–538.
48.
OldersH. (1989). Mourning and grief as healing processes in psychotherapy. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 34(4), 271–278.
49.
ParkesC. M. (1970). The first year of bereavement: A longitudinal study of the reaction of London widows to the death of their husbands. Psychiatry, 33(4), 444–467.
50.
PolitD. F.BeckC. T., & HunglerB. P. (2001). Essentials of nursing research Methods, appraisal, and utilization (5th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott.
51.
PredegerE. (1996). Womanspirit: A journey into healing through art in breast cancer. Advances in Nursing Science, 18(3), 48–58.
52.
ProviniC.EverettJ. R., & PfefferC. R. (2000). Adults mourning suicide: Self-reported concerns about bereavement, needs for assistance, and help-seeking behavior. Death Studies, 24, 1–19.
53.
RandoT. A. (1995). Grief and mourning: Accommodating to loss. In WassH. & NeimeyerR. A. (Eds.), Dying: Facing the facts (pp. 211–241). Washingtom, DC: Taylor & Francis.
54.
RangeL. M., & CalhounL. G. (1990). Response following suicide and other types of death: The perspective of the bereaved. Omega, 21(4), 311–320.
55.
RosenblattP. C. (1996). Grief that does not end. In KlassD.SilvermanP. R., & NickmanS. L. (Eds.), Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief (pp. 45–58). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
56.
SabarS. (2000). Bereavement, grief, and mourning a gestalt perspective. Gestalt Review, 4(2), 152–168.
57.
SandelowskiM. (1997). “To be of use”: Enhancing the utility of qualitative research. Nursing Outlook, 45, 125–132.
58.
SilvermanE.RangeL., & OverholsterJ. (1994–95). Bereavement from suicide as compared to other forms of bereavement. Omega, 30(1), 41–51.
59.
SmolinA., & GuinanJ. (1993). Healing after the suicide of a loved one.Toronto, ON: Simon & Schuster.
60.
SteenK. F. (1998). A comprehensive approach to bereavement. Nurse Practitioner, 23(3), 54–68.
61.
StraussA., & CorbinJ. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
62.
StroebeM.Van Den BoutJ., & SchutH. (1994). Myths and misconceptions about bereavement: The opening of a debate. Omega, 29(3), 187–203.
63.
SuckielE. J. (1982). The pragmatic philosophy of William James.Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
64.
TedeschiR.ParkC., & CalhounL. (Eds.) (1998). Posttraumatic growth: Positive changes in the aftermath of crisis.Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
65.
ThompsonK. E., & RangeL. M. (1992–93). Bereavement following suicide and other deaths: Why support attempts fail. Omega, 26(1), 61–70.
66.
ThorneS. E. (1994). Secondary analysis in qualitative research: Issues and implications. In MorseJ. M. (Ed.), Critical issues in qualitative research methods (pp. 263–279). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
67.
ThorntonG.WhittemoreK. D., & RobertsonD. U. (1989). Evaluation of people bereaved by suicide. Death Studies, 13, 119–126.
68.
VachonM., & StylianosK. (1988). The role of social support in bereavement. Journal of Social Issues, 44, 175–190.
69.
Van DongenC. J. (1990). Agonizing questioning: Experiences of survivors of suicide victims. Nursing Research, 39(4), 224–229.
70.
VargasM. (1991). Traditional healing practices. Healthsharing, 12(3), 13–14.
71.
WalshF., & McGoldrickM. (1991). Loss and the family: A systemic perspective. In WalshF. & McGoldrickM. (Eds.), Living beyond loss: Death in the family (pp. 1–29). New York: Norton.
72.
WatsonJ. (1999). Postmodern nursing and beyond.Edinburgh, Scotland: Churchill Livingston.
73.
WatsonW. L., & LeeD. (1993). Is there life after suicide? The systemic belief approach for “survivors” of suicide. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 8(1), 37–43.
74.
Wells-FedermanC. L. (1996). Awakening the nurse healer within. Holistic Nursing Practice, 10(2), 13–29.
75.
WernhamJ. C. S. (1987). James's will-to-believe doctrine: A heretical view.Montreal, QB: McGill-Queen's University Press.
76.
WordenJ. W. (1982). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health practitioner.New York: Springer.
77.
WrightL. M., & LeaheyM. (1984). Nurses and families: A guide to family assessment and intervention.Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis.
78.
YoungL. E. (2002). Transforming health promotion practice: Moving toward holistic care. In YoungL. E. & HayesV. E. (Eds.), Transforming health promotion practice: Concepts, issues, and applications (pp. 3–21). Philadelphia: F. A. Davis.
