Citation

Frey LM, Hans JD, Sanford RL. J. Fam. Theory Rev. 2016; 8(4): 446-462.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, National Council on Family Relations, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/jftr.12168

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Researchers have primarily examined suicide as an individual phenomenon, yet family scientists who view suicide as a family experience use multiple perspectives for examining the role of families after suicidal ideation or a nonfatal attempt. This article explores how prominent suicide theories can be used to conceptualize a family's role in suicide experiences. Three theories utilized by family scientists--human ecological theory, family systems theory, and social exchange theory--are applied to provide new conceptualizations of family reactions to suicidal behavior. Finally, potential contributions of family scientists to the field of suicidology are examined. © 2016 National Council on Family Relations

Language: en

Keywords

suicide; family systems theory; Family science; human ecological theory; social exchange theory