“Turning personal tragedy into triumph”: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on posttraumatic growth among suicide-loss survivors.

Abstract

Objectives: Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is a significant positive change experienced by an individual following stressful or challenging life events in his or her life. PTG has been explored in various populations; however, only recently, the concept has been applied to suicide bereavement and postvention. This systematic review aims to explore whether PTG can ensue in the aftermath of a suicide loss and what are the sociodemographic and psychological correlates of PTG among suicide-loss survivors.

Method: A systematic review, adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, identified 11 quantitative studies published between 2009 and 2019. The review was followed by an examination of the pooled effect size for the main correlates of PTG.

Results: PTG following suicide loss was reported to be positively associated with time since loss, adaptive coping strategies, and help-seeking. Furthermore, perceived social support and self-disclosure mediated the relations between both PTG and attachment style and between PTG and belongingness. A meta-analysis provided evidence that these two factors have strong averaged pool effects for their correlations with PTG.

Conclusions: The systematic review and meta-analysis found evidence of PTG following suicide loss and identified several psychosocial correlates of growth. Limitations of the reviewed studies, which included a lack of control groups and cross-sectional design, constrain the generalizability of the findings. Nonetheless, PTG is a relatively new area of research in postvention that carries substantial implications for the delivery of effective support to individuals coping with suicide loss.