School-Based Suicide Postvention Scoping Review

This scoping review aims to comprehensively map the available evidence on school-based postvention support for secondary school students bereaved by suicide. While existing research has focused predominantly on whole-school responses following peer suicide deaths within schools, little is known about support for students bereaved by family or community suicides, or about students' experiences of such support. Furthermore, no review has comprehensively examined the breadth of school-based postvention practices, including informal support, student perspectives, or staff preparedness needs. This review addresses three research questions: (1) What postvention practices are described in the literature as being provided by secondary school staff to suicide-bereaved students(including those bereaved by family, peer, or community suicides)? (2) What are students' experiences of school-based support following suicide bereavement, and what support needs do students identify? (3) What evidence exists regarding secondary school staff preparedness, training received, and support needs for providing suicide postvention to bereaved students? Expected Outcomes: Findings will identify gaps in the current evidence base regarding school-based suicide postvention. The review will map the types of support practices described in the literature (both formal interventions and informal support), synthesize student perspectives on school-based support, and examine what is known about staff preparedness and training needs. Results will inform future research directions and contribute to the development of evidence-based guidelines for supporting all suicide-bereaved students in secondary schools, regardless of their relationship to the deceased or where the death occurred. This work addresses a critical gap in understanding how schools can effectively support adolescents affected by suicide bereavement.