Abbate, L (2024) Assessing the perceived effectiveness of suicide postvention in England, from the perspective of beneficiaries that utilise the service and key stakeholders. Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.

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Abstract

Background: Postvention services aim to support individuals bereaved by suicide, prevent further suicides and reduce adverse mental health in this at-risk population. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of postvention services in the UK and develop a model for anyone seeking to create a new postvention service. Methods: A mixed methods design was used to assess perceived effectiveness and develop recommendations. Fifty-eight interviews were conducted with nine services, including beneficiaries, commissioners, service Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), referrers, and Suicide Liaison Employees (SLOs). Interviews were analysed twice using thematic analysis, once to generate themes from each service and then again to create themes from each participant group. Two services’ audit data on beneficiary demographics and evaluation outcome measures (CORE-10 and SWEMWBS) were analysed using paired samples t-tests. Results: This study found that well-being significantly improved between the initial assessment and recent assessment. Themes that emerged included: 1) “what do you need from us?”; 2) accessibility of postvention; 3) the ongoing debate surrounding data collection; 4) sustainability and longevity; 5) Shared learning of challenges and improvements for postvention services. Conclusion: Postvention services in England are having a positive impact on people bereaved by suicide and the wider community, by offering a tailor-made service that have adopted a public health approach to align postvention with suicide prevention programs. However, the longevity of these services was a concern due to funding and lack of evidence of their effectiveness. Evaluation would evidence their value and support the development of new services. Postvention services could be cost- effective in reducing the use of statutory services for people bereaved by suicide and reducing further suicides. A model for new services and further research is discussed.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Suicide; Postvention; Bereavement
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Psychology (from Sep 2019)
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	10 Jun 2024 14:29
Last Modified:	10 Jun 2024 14:29
DOI or ID number:	10.24377/LJMU.t.00023249
Supervisors:	Saini, P, Poole, H and Chopra, J
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/23249

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