Initial management of bereaved relatives following trauma

Parris, Richard

doi:10.1177/1460408611420352

Cited by 12 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Sudden and violent deaths can trigger acute psychological responses; they can increase the risk of developing complicated bereavement, in addition to the onset of physical and psychological symptoms. In turn, these could lead to an increase in suicidal risk and general mortality (Kaul, 2001 ; Mitchell, 2008 ; Parris, 2011 ; Baumann and Stark, 2015 ; Peters et al, 2016 ; Brand and Mahlke, 2017 ; Ombres et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Notification of Unexpected, Violent and Traumatic Death: A Systematic Review

Leo

Zammarrelli²,

Giannotti³

et al. 2020

Front. Psychol.

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Background: The way the death of a person is communicated can have a profound impact on the bereavement process. The words and expressions that are used to give the tragic news, the characteristics of who communicates it, the physical setting in which the notification is given, the means used (e.g., in person, via phone call, etc.) are just some of the factors that can influence the way survivors face one of the most difficult moments in their lives. Aim: To review the literature on the topic of death notification to verify the state of the art related to this important procedure. Methods: A systematic review was conducted with PRISMA criteria on English-written materials produced from 1966 to 2019. Results: Out of the initial 3,166 titles considered, 60 articles were extracted for this review. A content analysis has revealed four main areas of interest: (1) protocols and guidelines; (2) emotional reactions of recipients and notifiers; (3) professional figures involved in the notification process; and, (4) types of death. Discussion: The communication of death represents a complex and stressful experience not only for those who receive it but also for those who give it. Alongside the acquisition of a necessary technique and execution methods, the process should involve the selection of notifiers based on personality characteristics and communication styles. Conclusion: Indications for the need of better training and protocols sensitive to different circumstances emerge. Adequate preparation can positively influence the quality of communication and the effects it produces, both on recipients and notifiers. In vocational training, more space should be devoted to this demanding task.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Notification of Unexpected, Violent and Traumatic Death: A Systematic Review

Leo

Zammarrelli²,

Giannotti³

et al. 2020

Front. Psychol.

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“…Our findings suggest it is always important to inform the parents about the body's appearance and about options for the viewing, whatever the mode of death. Health care personnel are often encouraged to carefully prepare the environment and the body before the viewing [2] , [16] , [17] . However, after an as of yet unverified suicide, cleaning the body may be delayed due to an ongoing police investigation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Viewing the Body after Bereavement Due to Suicide: A Population-Based Survey in Sweden

et al. 2014

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BackgroundResearch on the assumed, positive and negative, psychological effects of viewing the body after a suicide loss is sparse. We hypothesized that suicide-bereaved parents that viewed their childs body in a formal setting seldom regretted the experience, and that viewing the body was associated with lower levels of psychological morbidity two to five years after the loss.Methods and FindingsWe identified 915 suicide-bereaved parents by linkage of nationwide population-based registries and collected data by a questionnaire. The outcome measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). In total, 666 (73%) parents participated. Of the 460 parents (69%) that viewed the body, 96% answered that they did not regret the experience. The viewing was associated with a higher risk of reliving the child's death through nightmares (RR 1.61, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.32) and intrusive memories (RR 1.20, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.38), but not with anxiety (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.40) and depression (RR 1.25, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.83). One limitation of our study is that we lack data on the informants' personality and coping strategies.ConclusionsIn this Swedish population-based survey of suicide-bereaved parents, we found that by and large everyone that had viewed their deceased child in a formal setting did not report regretting the viewing when asked two to five years after the loss. Our findings suggest that most bereaved parents are capable of deciding if they want to view the body or not. Officials may assist by giving careful information about the child's appearance and other details concerning the viewing, thus facilitating mental preparation for the bereaved person. This is the first large-scale study on the effects of viewing the body after a suicide and additional studies are needed before clinical recommendations can be made.

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“…The lack of training opportunities can cause insecurity in the respective situations, and inadequate aftercare causes an increased stress level ( 10 ). In parallel, the behavior of the police impacts the well-being of people they deal with during the missions, and inappropriate behavior can lead to the development of psychopathological symptoms in those individuals ( 11 , 12 ). This also makes it essential to improve the conditions and training opportunities within the police force.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Evaluation of a Suicide Prevention E-Learning Program for Police Officers (COPS): Improvement in Knowledge and Competence

Hofmann

Glaesmer

Przyrembel³

et al. 2021

Front. Psychiatry

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Background: Police officers are at high risk for mental and physical health problems and suicidal ideation. The specific risk factors are numerous and concern stressful missions and administrative aspects of the police profession. So far, the police get only little training on specific missions as well as on coping with stress and suicidal ideation in the police profession. In this study we test the efficacy of the online training COPS (Coping with Suicide) for police officers.Methods: A total of 142 police officers from Germany and Switzerland participated in the study; complete data (baseline and post) are available from 102 participants. The training consisted of three modules covering the topics of delivering death notifications, dealing with individuals with suicidal ideation and dealing with one's own distress and suicidal ideation in the police profession. The primary outcomes are perceived knowledge and self-rated competence regarding the contents of the program, actual knowledge as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety (PHQ-9), and attitudes toward suicide (ATTS). The data are collected at baseline and after completing the training.Results: We found a significant increase in knowledge as well as in perceived competence after completing the training. Mental health and attitudes toward suicide did not change significantly. Years on the job had no moderating effect on the effectiveness of the training.Discussion: The results suggest that a short e-learning program significantly improves knowledge and self-rated competence in delivering death notifications, in suicide prevention and stress management. It can be easily integrated into the daily routine of police-officers, and participants could participate at their own pace and from any location. One limitation of this study is the lack of a control-group. Further advantages and limitations of this study are discussed.Clinical Trial Registration:https://www.drks.de/drks_web/, identifier: DRKS00023882.

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Initial management of bereaved relatives following trauma

Cited by 12 publications

References 77 publications

Notification of Unexpected, Violent and Traumatic Death: A Systematic Review

Notification of Unexpected, Violent and Traumatic Death: A Systematic Review

Viewing the Body after Bereavement Due to Suicide: A Population-Based Survey in Sweden

An Evaluation of a Suicide Prevention E-Learning Program for Police Officers (COPS): Improvement in Knowledge and Competence

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