The Hope & Empowerment for Asian Loss (HEAL) Study
The HEAL Study
Funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
Welcome!
The goal of the HEAL Study is to understand the experiences of Asian American families who have lost a loved one to suicide. The grief and bereavement process can have profound impacts on mental health, family relationships, and overall quality of life. Our new Hope & Empowerment for Asian Loss (HEAL) Study is the first to research how the bereavement experience impacts mental health, relationships, and quality of life among Asian Americans. While there have been some studies on bereaved Asians living in Asia, there have been no studies on bereaved Asian American families. We aim to explore how Asian American families navigate the grief and trauma that follow such a profound loss and other factors that may impact the bereavement process. Given the unique histories and contexts of Asian American families, we aim to honor these families’ experiences and help design culturally responsive interventions for them. This study is funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (ASFP).
What is involved?
Phase 1: Between 2025 and 2026, we aim to conduct 30 one-on-one in-depth interviews. The interviews will be performed by trained clinicians. The 45-90 minute interviews will focus on topics such as grief, coping, quality of life, and family dynamics.
Phase 2: Between 2026 and 2027, we aim to collect 150 online survey responses on similar topics surrounding grief, coping, quality of life, and family dynamics. The survey questions and topics will be informed by the interviews in Phase 1. The survey will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.
Who is Involved?
The HEAL Cohort: We are currently recruiting 30 participants for in-depth interviews and 150 participants for an online survey. Interview participants may also choose to participate in the online survey as well.
Our participants must:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Identify as Asian American
- Have a family member (individuals with blood or marriage-based relations to each other) who died by suicide more than 1 year ago.
- Live in MA, NY, NJ, CA, CO, TX, WA, VA, DC, MD, and GA
- Be proficient in spoken and written English
If you fulfill the above criteria and are interested in participating in the study, please fill out the interest form below. After you submit the form, we will be in contact shortly. We thank you for your time and interest.