Citation

Walby FA, Sveen CA. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 107.

Affiliation

Suicide Research and Prevention Unit, University of Oslo, Sognsvannsveien 21, building 12, 0320 Oslo, Norway. fredrik.walby@medisin.uio.no.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16964053

Abstract

For several decades there has been a debate over the existence of qualitative and quantitative differences in grief reactions among suicide survivors as compared to that of other survivor groups. Earlier work including non-systematic reviews has provided diverging conclusions. We conducted a systematic review of published studies comparing suicide survivors to survivors of other modes of death. We searched MEDLINE and PSYCHINFO as well as references in obtained papers earlier reviews. Due to the waste heterogeneity of measures and outcomes, a qualitative approach to systemization was chosen. 52 studies fulfilled explicit inclusion criteria. Many studies had methodological and statistical limitations, including the lack of clear hypotheses, no corrections for multiple comparisons and lack of multivariate analyses. Overall results suggest few differences between survivor groups in general measures of health, psychiatric symptoms and overall grief reactions. More specific measures of grief gave evidence of different reactions on some dimensions. Several issues of potential high importance, such as discovering the body, have received limited research interest. The research to date indicates more similarities than differences in reactions between suicide survivors and other groups of survivors. Future studies should focus on testing hypothesis using standardized and specific measures.

Language: en