John Whitebrook, a researcher in the UK, invited HUGG members to participate in a qualitative study of postvention issues faced by UK and Ireland adult males bereaved by suicide.
Based on ten interviews he found several postvention enablers and postvention barriers. Postvention is a specific form of intervention which is provided after a suicide in recognition of the increased risk of suicidal ideation among the bereaved family, friends, and community.
Below is a list of what is helpful to support men who are bereaved by suicide:
- Provide information men can digest in their own time
- Activities with implicit suicide bereavement support/informal support
- Activities with a physical/outdoor component
- Female accompaniment and lack of pressure to speak
- Hybrid meeting (don’t have to walk into a room of mainly women)
- Men-only suicide bereavement peer support groups
- Overt encouragement of men to share their feelings, i.e. don’t reinforce stereotypes by leaving them to internalise emotions
- Involvement in advocacy for bereavement charity
What is not helpful for men bereaved by suicide and poses a barrier to support is:
- Pressure (real or perceived) to talk about emotions
- Societal expectations of stoicism (internally or externally generated)
- Feeling a responsibility to step in/fix things (in a mixed group)
- Family support directed towards females
- Female dominance in support activities (self-fulling prophecy)
- Delegation of grieving to females
- Can’t match what other men are doing e.g. ‘Three Dads Walking’
- Men-only mental health groups not having a suicide bereavement focus
- Financial constraints (prioritise others/females) – breadwinner role
We are grateful to John for his work in this space and for sharing these valuable insights with us.
We are also proud to launch HUGG Men, a dedicated suicide bereavement support group, led by men for men. If you are interested in learning more about HUGG Men, please email support@HUGG.ie to speak with our telephone supporter who can answer any questions you might have. If you are ready to join HUGG Men, fill out the form here: https://www.hugg.ie/join-a-group/
