Parent and care-giver support following a young person's suicide attempt A qualitative evaluation

Introduction

Parents and care-givers of young people who attempt suicide or experience persistent suicidal ideation are at high risk themselves of experiencing stress, distress and trauma. Support services, however, tend to focus on the child or young person themselves, and parents may feel disempowered or sidelined, despite playing an important role in the ongoing care of the young person. This paper reports on the qualitative findings from a research project which was undertaken as a component of the larger Child and Youth Hope (CY Hope) service evaluation at a mental health service in Melbourne, Australia. The service is a new initiative introduced to tackle the increase in youth suicide rates and at the time of data collection had been in operation for 12 months. An overview of the service will be provided.

Method

Five mothers, one father and one partner participated in one-on-one interviews at 3-months post-discharge of the young person from the CY Hope service. The interviews sought to gain views around their experiences and their perspectives on the care their young person received.

Results

Participant distress was eased by the CY Hope service in two ways. Firstly, direct support for them such as access to a family peer worker and ability to contact clinical staff. Secondly, indirect support such as a reduction in stress knowing that their child/partner was receiving support and strategies, improved parent/carer-giver communication with the young person communication and providing connections, for example, to other mental health services.

Discussion

Although this is a small-scale study, the findings highlight the importance of supporting parents and care-givers when they are caring for a young person following a suicide attempt. When support is provided the parent or care-giver can feel heard and can process their own distress knowing their young person is ‘held’ by a team of professionals.