Cultural Factors Affecting Suicide-Specific Grief in the Latinx Community: A Systematic Literature Review of Studies
Date of Award
8-2019
Document Type
Doctoral Research Paper
Degree Name
Psy.D.
Organizational Unit
Graduate School of Professional Psychology
First Advisor
Brieanna Kohrt
Second Advisor
Athena Baca-Chieza
Third Advisor
Artur Poczwardowski
Keywords
Suicide, Latinx, Grief, Religion, Familismo, Stigma
Abstract
Introduction. In 2017, suicide was the 9th leading cause of death for all ages of the Latinx population living in the United States (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). These statistics point to the number of individuals from the Latinx community left to grieve a death by suicide and the need to further understand suicide-specific grief in this community. The purpose of the present systematic literature review was to (1) identify the cultural factors affecting grief in Latinx individuals, (2) identify themes of suicide-specific grief, and then (3) describe the way in which the identified cultural factors may influence suicide-specific grief in the Latinx population residing within the United States. Method: A systematic literature review was conducted using three databases and search terms relevant to suicide-specific grief and the Latinx population. One hundred and sixty-seven studies were identified, of which 49 were included in the full review process following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: Out of the 49 studies, 15 (30.6%) of them identified two Latinx cultural factors in the context of grief: familismo and religion. Forty-seven (96.0%) studies identified six themes of suicide-specific grief: stigma; emotional dysregulation; making sense of the death; sense of relief; posttraumatic growth; and social support. Conclusions: The two identified Latinx cultural factors, familismo and religion, affect suicide-specific grief in Latinx individuals, both in positive and negative manners. Limitations exist related to the studies’ sample size and composition. Future research should continue to explore the relationship between Latinx cultural factors and suicide-specific grief.
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. Permanently suppressed.
Rights Holder
Raquel Meade
Provenance
Received from author
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
45 pgs
File Size
654 KB
Recommended Citation
Meade, Raquel, "Cultural Factors Affecting Suicide-Specific Grief in the Latinx Community: A Systematic Literature Review of Studies" (2019). Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects. 348.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/capstone_masters/348