Psychosocial predictors of sudden death: a review and critique.
Research and selected case studies concerning psychosocial prediction of sudden death are evaluated under three categories: sudden cardiac, sudden infant and sudden traumatic death. The psychosocial predictors reviewed include novelty-pre-exposure, control-helplessness, restraint, Type A behavior, life change, bereavement, denial, social support and contact, voodoo, psychiatric illness, mother infant separation, submission-defeat, housing, handling and environmental enrichment. Four of these predictors, controllability-helplessness, pre-exposure-novelty, depressive affect and physical restraint are repeatedly cited in both human and animal studies and their importance is critically evaluated. Methodological and substantive recommendations for future research are made and a discussion of possible mechanisms is presented.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000523:psychology; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D012306:Risk; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000523:psychology; D014434:Type A Personality; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology