Grief Shortly After Suicide and Natural Death: a Comparative Study Among Spouses and First-Degree Relatives

Chronic dysfunction after complicated grief is not rare & emphasizes the need to identify bereaved individuals at risk. Three months following bereavement, self-reported psychiatric & general health of 153 relatives of 74 suicide victims was worse than that of 70 relatives of 39 natural deaths. Moreover, the felt need for professional help was higher among the former, even after adjustment for expectedness of death, sociodemographic differences, & relatives’/spouses’ neuroticism. Results suggest suicide-bereaved individuals may constitute a high-risk group of mourners in need of targeted postvention. (74 refs.)