Background: Stigma and social exclusion complicate the lives of individuals close to those who have committed suicide, adversely impacting their physical and mental health. The extent of this issue has been documented in various studies. This research uniquely examines how individuals who have committed suicide are marginalized in grave construction and burial practices, as well as the social interactions during the mourning process.
Objective: To understand how stigma and social exclusion experienced by the relatives of individuals who have committed suicide manifest in mourning and burial rituals.
Method: In-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen relatives of individuals who had committed suicide, and the data were analyzed using content analysis. The study's limitations include a predominantly female sample and an insufficient sample size.
Results: All participants agreed that suicide is a source of stigma and social exclusion. Individuals who have committed suicide are those whose mourning cannot be freely expressed. Those perceived to be responsible for the suicide are unwanted and marginalized in mourning settings. Whether the individual who committed suicide should be buried according to Islamic rules is a contentious issue in mourning contexts. The grave of the individual who committed suicide is often not desired in the family cemetery. Gravestones are typically not placed in visible locations, and detailed identity information is often omitted.
Conclusion: The research provides significant evidence of stigma and social exclusion in burial practices, offering valuable contributions to the scientific community. Every decision individuals make about their own lives deserves respect, and a person who has committed suicide deserves dignified treatment after death. A social law state is obliged to protect the rights of its citizens. Such stigma necessitates that the social law state take further measures to raise social awareness about suicide and provide rehabilitation for survivors. These topics should be included in the state education curriculum, and social awareness should be fostered from childhood. Continuous rehabilitative support programs should be implemented in healthcare institutions to address the issues faced by survivors.
