Bereavement from Suicide as Compared to other Forms of Bereavement

Abstract

Bereavement from suicide results in a difficult and complex adjustment for the surviving friends and family members. As compared to other forms of bereavement, suicide survivors are likely to experience more intense grief reactions and may suffer from social rejection and alienation. The present study was designed to compare bereavement from suicide with other forms of bereavement on standardized measures of grief, stress, and social supports. College students who were bereaved during the past five years were classified into five groups based on the cause of death: suicide, homicide, accidental death, natural anticipated death, and natural unanticipated death. All participants provided information about their perceived availability of social support, subjective distress reactions, and grief reactions. Bereavement from suicide was associated with more intense grief reactions than the other four groups. However, the five bereavement groups were similar on most measures of social support and subjective distress reactions. The present results suggest that bereavement from suicide poses added difficulties not seen in other forms of bereavement.