Trauma and bereavement:: Examining the impact of sudden and violent deaths

The intersection between trauma and bereavement has only recently been explored. Prior studies of bereavement have often neglected to measure posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms; the few that have offer equivocal findings concerning the role of PTSD symptomatology following loss. Few studi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of anxiety disorders 2003, Vol.17 (2), p.131-147
Main Authors: Kaltman, Stacey, Bonanno, George A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Analysis of Variance
Anxiety disorders. Neuroses
Bereavement
Biological and medical sciences
Cause of Death
Depression - psychology
Female
Grief
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumatic stress disorder
Prospective Studies
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
San Francisco
Spouses - psychology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Trauma
Violence
Violent death
Wounds and Injuries
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Summary:The intersection between trauma and bereavement has only recently been explored. Prior studies of bereavement have often neglected to measure posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms; the few that have offer equivocal findings concerning the role of PTSD symptomatology following loss. Few studies have explored the relationship between PTSD and the other psychological sequelae more commonly associated with loss. The current investigation assessed PTSD symptoms over time following the death of a spouse, using violence and the suddenness of the loss as potential outcome predictors. In addition, the relationship between PTSD and depression symptoms was assessed. Violent death predicted PTSD symptoms and the persistence of depression over time. The suddenness of the loss was not related to PTSD symptoms. This investigation suggests that violent death results in development of PTSD symptoms over and above the normal grief response and thus, may contribute to a more severe grief response.
ISSN:0887-6185
1873-7897
DOI:10.1016/S0887-6185(02)00184-6