The present study examined the prevalence, demographic distribution, and mental health correlates of losing a loved one to homicide. A national sample of 1753 young adults completed structured telephone interviews measuring violence exposure, mental health diagnoses, and loss of a family member or close friend to a drunk driving accident (vehicular homicide) or murder (criminal homicide). The prevalence of homicide survivorship was 15.2%. African Americans were more highly represented among criminal homicide survivors. Logistic regression analyses found that homicide survivors were at risk for past year posttraumatic stress disorder (OR = 1.88), major depressive episode (OR = 1.64), and drug abuse/dependence (OR = 1.77). These findings highlight the significant mental health needs of homicide survivors. (CDC, 2004). Each murder leaves behind 7 to 10 close relatives, in addition to friends, neighbors, and co-workers (Redmond, 1989). Therefore, the number of individuals affected is far greater than the number of direct homicide victims. "Homicide survivors," also called "co-victims" are generally defined as the friends, family, and loved ones that survive murder victims (including victims of drunk driving accidents, or vehicular homicide). While direct victims of homicide receive substantial attention in society and research reports, homicide survivors are infrequently acknowledged. However, the unexpected, violent loss of a loved one is a potentially traumatic event that can have significant psychological implications.Homicide survivors suffer from both similar and unique experiences in comparison to direct victims of crime. Similar to other crime victims, homicide survivors may contend with economic stressors, stigmatization, fear of recurrence, anxiety when encountering reminders of the event, negative beliefs about themselves and the world, and feelings of guilt and responsibility. In contrast to other crime victims, homicide survivors often face greater intrusion of the media and criminal justice systems, strained relationships with friends or family members that are suspected perpetrators, and preoccupation with revenge (see Hertz, ProthrowStith, & Chery, 2005). These stressors may contribute to the risk for mental health problems among homicide survivors. An understanding of the impact of homicide is of particular Regarding mental health problems, several descriptive studies suggest that homicide survivors are at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and general psychiatric symptoms (AmickMcMullan et al., 1991;Amick-McMullan, Kilpatrick, Veronen, & Smith, 1989; Freedy, Resnick, Kilpatrick, Danksy, & Tidwell, 1994;Murphy, Johnson, Wu, Fan, & Lohan, 2003;Murphy, Johnson, & Lohan, 2002;Parkes, 1993;Thompson, Norris, & Ruback, 1998 , investigators have yet to explore whether losing a loved one to homicide represents a specific risk factor for substance use problems. Moreover, no known studies have examined whether homicide survivorship is a significant predictor of mental health outcomes in re...