Survivor-victim status, attachment, and sudden death bereavement.
This research examines the significance of the survivor-victim relationship in understanding grief following sudden death bereavement. Data for this study come from medical examiner's reports and mailed self-report surveys of survivors of suicide and accidental death. In general, the results show that survivor-victim attachment is more important than survivor's status in explaining grief reactions. Also, suicide survivors experience significantly less emotional distress and shock, but greater feelings of guilt/shame and rejection, than survivors of accidental death. This paper concludes by directing future research to explore more fully the importance of survivor-victim relationships in understanding grief following bereavement.
Reed
M D
MD
Department of Sociology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27706.
Greenwald
J Y
JY
D000059:Accidents / Q000523:psychology; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001601:Bereavement; D003645:Death, Sudden; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009769:Object Attachment; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*