Effectiveness of Psychological interventions for family members bereaved through suicide: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The current systematic review and meta-analysis study was designed to summarize the impact of the available interventions on the outcomes of the people bereaved through suicide. This systematic review and meta-analysis study was executed in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The present systematic review and meta-analysis study included four articles, encompassing 310 participants. The average time since the most recent bereavement ranged from 40.96 to 4.57 months. People who received psychological interventions showed statistically significantly lower mean levels of complicated grief (SMD -0.46; 95% -0.87, -0.05; P=0.03), somatic reactions (SMD -1.29; 95% -1.66, -0.92; P<0.001) and lower mean levels of perceived stigma (SMD -1.46; 95% -2.57, -0.35; P=0.010), compared to the control group. The results of the study also showed that the therapeutic interventions based on cognitive-behavioral therapy are better in relieving grief in this sample compared to other different interventions. Whereas therapeutic interventions based on Peer Support Groups are the best in relieving Somatic reactions and Perceived stigma compared to other different interventions.