Communication on familial suicide: development of the Family Communication on Suicide Questionnaire
Introduction: Each suicide affects about five close family members, potentially heightening risk for psychopathology and suicide. Communication style is a key factor in mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of families. Family communication after suicide, however, is insufficiently conceptualised...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Psychotraumatology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20008066.2024.2411887 |
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| author | Sonja Radde Stefan Gutwinski Keith Harris Meryam Schouler-Ocak Felix Bermpohl Konrad Schnabel Frauke Stuke Jonathan Henssler |
| author_facet | Sonja Radde Stefan Gutwinski Keith Harris Meryam Schouler-Ocak Felix Bermpohl Konrad Schnabel Frauke Stuke Jonathan Henssler |
| author_sort | Sonja Radde |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Each suicide affects about five close family members, potentially heightening risk for psychopathology and suicide. Communication style is a key factor in mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of families. Family communication after suicide, however, is insufficiently conceptualised and studied. This study aimed to identify different factors of familial communication after suicide of a relative and to develop a questionnaire assessing the functionality of familial communications following the suicide of a family member.Method: Through literature review, categories for the functionality of family communication after a familial suicide were developed. Items assessing family communication strategies were formulated and reviewed for comprehensibility and classification. Based on this review, the FCSQ (Family Communication on Suicide Questionnaire) was then tested in a multistep exploratory factor analysis on a cohort of suicide-bereaved relatives, utilising principal axis factor extraction. Construct validity of the FCSQ was assessed through correlation analysis and internal consistency via coefficient alpha.Results: Fifty-nine participants were enrolled in the study. Psychometric analyses indicated that family communication after a suicide can be divided into three factors, Honest and Emotional, Derogatory, and Stigmatising. Honest and Emotional formed functional communications, while Derogatory and Stigmatising communications formed two dysfunctional dimensions.Conclusions: The FCSQ is a first-of-a-kind questionnaire to assess functionality of family communications after suicide. Factor analysis indicated good factor structure and internal consistency, especially regarding functional communication patterns, while the Derogatory factor requires further analysis. This questionnaire has the potential to fill a crucial gap in clinical and research practice and can help to identify families and family members at risk after the experience of a family suicide. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7610337d3e7a451f883dfa12a708d79a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2000-8066 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Psychotraumatology |
| spelling | doaj-art-7610337d3e7a451f883dfa12a708d79a2025-08-20T02:17:00ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEuropean Journal of Psychotraumatology2000-80662024-12-0115110.1080/20008066.2024.2411887Communication on familial suicide: development of the Family Communication on Suicide QuestionnaireSonja Radde0Stefan Gutwinski1Keith Harris2Meryam Schouler-Ocak3Felix Bermpohl4Konrad Schnabel5Frauke Stuke6Jonathan Henssler7Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanySchool of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquarie, NSW, AustraliaDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanyInternational Psychoanalytic University Berlin gGmbH, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, GermanyIntroduction: Each suicide affects about five close family members, potentially heightening risk for psychopathology and suicide. Communication style is a key factor in mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of families. Family communication after suicide, however, is insufficiently conceptualised and studied. This study aimed to identify different factors of familial communication after suicide of a relative and to develop a questionnaire assessing the functionality of familial communications following the suicide of a family member.Method: Through literature review, categories for the functionality of family communication after a familial suicide were developed. Items assessing family communication strategies were formulated and reviewed for comprehensibility and classification. Based on this review, the FCSQ (Family Communication on Suicide Questionnaire) was then tested in a multistep exploratory factor analysis on a cohort of suicide-bereaved relatives, utilising principal axis factor extraction. Construct validity of the FCSQ was assessed through correlation analysis and internal consistency via coefficient alpha.Results: Fifty-nine participants were enrolled in the study. Psychometric analyses indicated that family communication after a suicide can be divided into three factors, Honest and Emotional, Derogatory, and Stigmatising. Honest and Emotional formed functional communications, while Derogatory and Stigmatising communications formed two dysfunctional dimensions.Conclusions: The FCSQ is a first-of-a-kind questionnaire to assess functionality of family communications after suicide. Factor analysis indicated good factor structure and internal consistency, especially regarding functional communication patterns, while the Derogatory factor requires further analysis. This questionnaire has the potential to fill a crucial gap in clinical and research practice and can help to identify families and family members at risk after the experience of a family suicide.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20008066.2024.2411887Suicidetransgenerational psychopathologyfamily communicationsuicide survivorspostventionSuicidio |
| spellingShingle | Sonja Radde Stefan Gutwinski Keith Harris Meryam Schouler-Ocak Felix Bermpohl Konrad Schnabel Frauke Stuke Jonathan Henssler Communication on familial suicide: development of the Family Communication on Suicide Questionnaire European Journal of Psychotraumatology Suicide transgenerational psychopathology family communication suicide survivors postvention Suicidio |
| title | Communication on familial suicide: development of the Family Communication on Suicide Questionnaire |
| title_full | Communication on familial suicide: development of the Family Communication on Suicide Questionnaire |
| title_fullStr | Communication on familial suicide: development of the Family Communication on Suicide Questionnaire |
| title_full_unstemmed | Communication on familial suicide: development of the Family Communication on Suicide Questionnaire |
| title_short | Communication on familial suicide: development of the Family Communication on Suicide Questionnaire |
| title_sort | communication on familial suicide development of the family communication on suicide questionnaire |
| topic | Suicide transgenerational psychopathology family communication suicide survivors postvention Suicidio |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20008066.2024.2411887 |
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