Citation

Reed MD, Greenwald JY. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 1991; 21(4): 385-401.

Affiliation

Department of Sociology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27706.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1799019

Abstract

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.