Lived experience of suicide attempt: A phenomenological study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Sahryar-Sabashahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Birjand

3 Masters Degree in Family Counseling, Qazvin Center Branch, Payame Noor University, Qazvin

Abstract

The purpose of present research was to study the phenomenological lived experience suicide attempts in individuals with a history of suicide. In this phenomenological study, data were collected through open, unstructured and in-depth interviews with 20 participants (11 females and 9 males). In this study, purposive and snowball sampling method were used and data collection was continued until saturation. Descriptive phenomenology of "Colaizzi" method was used to analyze the data. Analysis of the data obtained from the interviews led to the extraction of 6 main themes and 11 sub-themes. The central theme extracted from this study was "suicide attempts as a solution" with the sub-theme" a way to freedom or expression". Other thems of this study include perceptions of intrapersonal problems with two sub themes feeling of meaninglessness and impulsivity; perceived interpersonal problems, including two sub themes experienced emotional failures and perceived rejection by others; Perception disturbance in the family atmosphere consists of three sub themes of unpleasant experiences in childhood, perceived tension in marital relationship and parent-teen conflict in control and independence; denial of social and cultural identity consists of two sub themes: the gap between generation and perception of the meaningless of religion. The last theme was poverty and financial problems, included the sub-theme of perception of economic and financial problems. The present study showed that suicide is a complex and multidimensional whole that connects tension in intrapersonal, interpersonal, family, socio-cultural and economic dimensions in a general structure. Therefore, for any prevention program, counseling and intervention in the suicide crisis, structural relationships between intrapersonal, interpersonal, family and socio-cultural problems should be considered.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Qualitative Research in Behavioral Sciences (QRBS)
Volume 1, Issue 1
May 2022
Pages 43-56

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History

  • Receive Date: 15 January 2022
  • Revise Date: 16 June 2022
  • Accept Date: 01 July 2022

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