Yogyakarta, October 27, 2026 — Research on grief following the loss of someone to suicide (suicide bereavement) and post-suicide support services (postvention) continues to grow globally. However, scientific publications in this field remain dominated by researchers from high-income countries, while studies from lower-middle-income and low-income countries remain limited.
These findings were reported in an article titled “Research Trends in Suicide Bereavement and Postvention – A Global Bibliometric and Content Analysis,” published in the journal Crisis in 2026. The study involved Dr. rer. nat. Laura Hofmann, Adelia Khrisna Putri, S.Psi., M.Sc., Ph.D., Dr. Tania Pearce, Elahe Derakhshan, M.Sc., Smita Dinakaramani, S.Psi., M.Psi., Psikolog, and other collaborators.
The research team conducted a bibliometric analysis of 1,072 articles published between 1953 and 2025. Data were obtained through systematic searches across eight databases: Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, and APA PsycArticles. The analysis included empirical studies, evidence syntheses, and non-empirical publications, such as opinion pieces, without restrictions on language or geographical location.
The findings indicate a consistent increase in publications on suicide bereavement and postvention. Approximately 95% of the publications were authored by first authors from high-income countries, while only 1.3% originated from lower-middle-income and low-income countries. Empirical research and intervention studies have also become more prevalent compared with non-empirical publications.
The study further found that research more frequently focused on young adults, while studies specifically examining older adults remained limited. The researchers also identified a lack of longitudinal studies and intervention research. Nevertheless, the findings provide limited insight into the methodological quality of the articles analyzed.
These findings underscore the need to expand research involving underrepresented populations, including those in lower-middle-income and low-income countries. High-quality intervention studies are also needed to develop support services that better address the needs of suicide-loss survivors.
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