The Decision‐Making Process for Disclosing Suicidal Ideation and Behavior to Family and Friends

• Author: Julie Cerel,Laura M. Frey,Anthony Fulginiti,DeQuincy Lezine
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12315
• Published date: 01 July 2018
• Date: 01 July 2018

L M. F University of Louisville

A F University of Denver

DQ L Prevention Communities, Fresno, California

J C University of Kentucky

The Decision-Making Process for Disclosing

Suicidal Ideation and Behavior to Family

and Friends

Objective: This study was designed to explore

the decision-making processes for disclosing

suicidal ideation and behavior.

Background: Suicide attempt survivors are an

invaluable resource that can provide essential

information about suicidal behavior and related

communication to family and friends. Because of

the stigma associated with suicide and seeking

help, many individuals choose to conceal their

suicidal ideation or behavior or to disclose only

to a few family and friends.

Method: Semistructured, audio-only interviews

were conducted with a convenience sample of 40

suicide-attempt survivors to develop a grounded

theory of factors that inuence the decision to

disclose current and past suicidal behavior to

family members and other individuals within

one’s social network.

Results: Several motivations for disclosing

(e.g., seeking help, sharing personal informa-

tion, informing others) were identied, and a

Couple and Family Therapy Program, Burhans Hall Room

136, Shelby Campus, University of Louisville, Louisville,

KY 40292 (laura.frey@louisville.edu).

Key Words: attempt survivor, family communication,

grounded theory,suicide attempt, suicide-related disclosure.

majority of the sample conducted an informal

cost–benet analysis before disclosing. The

ndings also elucidate the process of choos-

ing a person with whom disclosure occurs,

and the importance of having that family or

friend with whom attempt survivors feel safe

disclosing ideation as it occurs as well as subse-

quently processing the experience and seeking

treatment.

Conclusion: Decision-making processes for

suicide-related disclosure include identifying

motivations to disclose, an informal cost–benet

analysis, and the selection of a recipient to whom

one will disclose.

Implications: This emergent model identies

ve tangible intervention strategies for increas-

ing the likelihood of suicide disclosure. Future

research should examine the internal resources

that motivate individuals to engage in subse-

quent disclosure to individuals from whom they

have previously experienced stigma.

Although the rate of deaths by suicide in the

United States is staggering—the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has

reported that more than 42,700 individuals

died by suicide in 2014 (National Center for

414 Family Relations 67 (July 2018): 414–427

DOI:10.1111/fare.12315