OUR RESEARCH
Patterns, experiences and meaning.
Crisis Narrative brings together three complementary strands to understand suicide and mental health experiences within nursing in Scotland.
Official records: patterns over time
We will analyse National Records of Scotland data on suicide deaths recorded with nursing occupations across 1980–2025. The analysis will examine the patterns that the available records can support, including differences over time and by sex.
Changes in occupational coding and the availability of suitable workforce denominators matter. We will explain these limits when reporting counts, comparisons and any rates.
What records can and cannot tell us
Records can describe patterns in recorded deaths. They cannot, on their own, reconstruct a person’s experience or establish why a crisis occurred. That is why the survey and oral histories are central to the study.
National survey: experiences across nursing careers
The planned anonymous survey will invite current and former nurses to describe experiences of distress, self-harm, help-seeking and workplace pressures. It will bring together structured questions and opportunities to respond in participants’ own words.
We are interested in differences across roles, settings and career stages, as well as the experiences of male and female nurses. Sex and gender will be treated as distinct concepts where relevant to the questions and analysis.
The survey will provide evidence from those who choose to take part. Findings will need to be interpreted with that self-selection in mind.
Oral histories: understanding lived experience
In-depth interviews will explore how suicidal crises are experienced, narrated and remembered. The planned work includes nurses, bereaved family members and occupational health professionals, alongside relevant archival and documentary material.
The approach places experiences in the context of a life and a working career. It considers what happened before, during and after a crisis, what support was available, and how professional and organisational cultures shaped the experience.
Listening with care
Interviews are planned as participant-led conversations, with attention to pacing, choice and distress. Study-specific information will explain consent, confidentiality, withdrawal and the safeguarding arrangements before anyone decides whether to participate.
Bringing the evidence together
The aim is to connect patterns in records with the breadth of survey responses and the depth of personal accounts. We will consider where the strands agree, where they differ and what each adds to our understanding.
The research is intended to inform practical recommendations and the next stages of prevention research. It is not a service for assessing an individual’s suicide risk.
