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Predictors and Correlates of Bereavement in Suicide Support Group Participants
Author(s) -
Callahan Jay
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1943-278x.2000.tb01070.x
Subject(s) - grief , clinical psychology , psychology , complicated grief , attendance , distress , suicide prevention , social support , psychiatry , poison control , medicine , medical emergency , psychotherapist , economics , economic growth
A sample of 210 survivors of suicide, all participants in suicide support groups, was studied. Associations between demographic factors, circumstances surrounding the suicide, and overall levels of grief (using the Grief Experience Questionnaire) were calculated. Results showed that seeing the body at the scene of the death was the most significant predictor of high levels of distress, and support from family and friends was the strongest protective factor. Time since the death (for women) and attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings (for those participating in nonsuicide support groups) were also significantly related to level of grief. For men, a moderate level of participation in other support groups, as compared with none, was associated with higher levels of grief. All other variables were not significant. Results suggest that a model that combines posttraumatic reactions and grief is most appropriate for the aftermath of suicide.