Psychopathology Among Homicidally Bereaved Individuals

Denderen, Mariëtte van; Keijser, Jos de; Kleen, Marco; Boelen, Paul A.

doi:10.1177/1524838013515757

Cited by 35 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Our study also showed that a history of mental illness is associated with substantial increase in risk, as is sudden loss from suicide, accidents or homicide. Previous studies have established comorbidity between mental illness, substance abuse, and prolonged or complicated grief 13,[37][38][39] , between suicide and a family history of suicidal behavior 40,41 , and between violent deaths and increased risk of prolonged or complicated grief, mental illness, or suicide during bereavement 13,42,43 . Nevertheless, in our study, one in three bereaved with a history of mental illness experienced a serious mental health condition after loss; this has never previously been established while also adjusting for age and gender.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of suicide, deliberate self‐harm and psychiatric illness after the loss of a close relative: A nationwide cohort study

et al. 2017

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The loss of a close relative is a common event, yet it is associated with increased risk of serious mental health conditions. No large-scale study has explored up to now the importance of the bereaved person's relation to the deceased while accounting for gender and age. We performed a nationwide Danish cohort study using register information from 1995 through 2013 on four sub-cohorts including all persons aged 18 years exposed to the loss of a child, spouse, sibling or parent. We identified 1,445,378 bereaved persons, and each was matched by gender, age and family composition to five non-bereaved persons. Cumulative incidence proportions were calculated to estimate absolute differences in suicide, deliberate self-harm and psychiatric illness. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to calculate hazard ratios while adjusting for potential confounders. Results revealed that the risk of suicide, deliberate self-harm and psychiatric illness was increased in the bereaved cohorts for at least 10 years after the loss, particularly during the first year. During that year, the risk difference was 18.9 events in 1,000 persons after loss of a child (95% CI: 17.6-20.1) and 16.0 events in 1,000 persons after loss of the spouse (95% CI: 15.4-16.6). Hazard ratios were generally highest after loss of a child, in younger persons, and after sudden loss by suicide, homicide or accident. One in three persons with a previous psychiatric diagnosis experienced suicide, deliberate self-harm or psychiatric illness within the first year of bereavement. In conclusion, this study shows that the risk of suicide, deliberate self-harm and psychiatric illness is high after the loss of a close relative, especially in susceptible subgroups. This suggests the need for early identification of high-risk persons displaying adjustment problems after loss of a close family member, in order to reduce the risk of serious mental health outcomes.Key words: Bereavement, suicide, deliberate self-harm, psychiatric hospitalization, loss of a child, sudden loss (World Psychiatry 2017;16:193-199) Death of a close relative is a common experience in adulthood. In the US, it has been estimated that more than 40,000 parents lose a child every year 1 , and more than half of the population over 65 years are widowed 2 . Although bereavement is a natural life event, it is often followed by emotional suffering and adjustment challenges. Studies have shown an association between the loss of a loved one and a range of mental health complications, particularly depression and post-traumatic stress disorder 3-9

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of suicide, deliberate self‐harm and psychiatric illness after the loss of a close relative: A nationwide cohort study

et al. 2017

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“…Persons with CG are assumed to be different from other bereaved individuals because they exhibit additional symptoms, such as intense yearning, searching, and permanent disbelief about the death of a loved one (Prigerson, Frank, et al, 1995). Although some symptoms of CG overlap with depression and symptoms of PTSD, re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal, the separation distress component is unique for persons with CG (Van Denderen et al, 2015). Furthermore, individuals with PTSD or CG can both experience anxiety, but the form is different: whereas PTSD complaints typically include threat-related anxiety, CG includes mainly separation anxiety (Lichtenhal, Cruess, & Prigerson, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Rated Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Complicated Grief in a Community-Based Sample of Homicidally Bereaved Individuals

Denderen

Keijser

Huisman

et al. 2014

J Interpers Violence

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People confronted with homicidal loss have to cope with separation distress, related to their loss, and traumatic distress, associated with the circumstances surrounding the death. These reactions are related to complicated grief (CG) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The psychological effects for people who have lost someone through homicide, in terms of PTSD and CG, are largely unclear. This cross-sectional study (a) examined the prevalence of self-rated PTSD and self-rated CG in a community-based sample of 312 spouses, family members, and friends of homicide victims and (b) aimed to identify socio-demographic, loss-related, and perpetrator-related correlates of PTSD and CG. Participants were recruited via support organizations for homicidally bereaved individuals in the Netherlands (i.e., support group), and by casemanagers of a governmental organization, which offers practical, non-psychological, support to bereaved families (i.e., casemanager group). Prevalence of self-rated PTSD was 30.9% (support group) and 37.5% (casemanager group), prevalence of CG was 82.7% (support group) and 80.6% (casemanager group). PTSD and CG severity scores varied as a function of the relationship with the victim; parents were at greater risk to develop emotional problems, compared with other relatives of the victim. Time since loss was negatively associated with PTSD and CG scores.

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“…A wide range of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) estimates were found across studies, with lifetime homicide-related PTSD ranging from 19% to 71% and current PTSD ranging from 5.2% and 6% among those who were exposed. Some other studies found elevated depression, anxiety, and substance abuse among individuals exposed to family/friend homicide (van Denderen et al, 2015). Although studies generally suggest that this is a highly traumatized population, most have failed to control for other traumatic experiences that may co-occur with homicide exposure.…”

Section: Child Adversity and Impact Of Homicide Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure to Family and Friend Homicide in a Nationally Representative Sample of Youth

Turner

Finkelhor

Henly

2018

J Interpers Violence

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This study examines the lifetime prevalence and distribution of family/friend homicide exposure among children and adolescents age 2 to 17 in the United States, and assesses the impact of family/friend homicide on emotional and behavioral outcomes, while controlling for potential co-occurring factors. Data were collected by telephone about the experiences of youth in 2008, 2011, or 2014, as part of the National Surveys of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV). Analyses are based on a pooled sample ( n =11,771) from these three surveys. Approximately 8% of all children and youth ages 2 to 17 were exposed to a family/friend homicide. Older adolescents, Black youth, those living in single parent and nonparent family households, those from lower socioeconomic status households, and youth living in large cities were overrepresented among youth experiencing family or friend homicide. Exposed youth were also substantially more likely to be poly-victims, experience other major adversities, and live in neighborhoods with more community disorder. Exposure to family/friend homicide was significantly related to trauma symptoms. However, when other co-occurring factors were taken into account, only family/friend homicide that occurred within the last 2 years remained significant. With respect to delinquency, only nonfamily homicide exposure remained significant with these other factors controlled. Findings suggest that family/friend homicide represents a powerful marker for a broad level of victimization risk and adversity, demonstrating that family/friend murder is often just one relatively small part of a more complicated life of adversity. Although recent exposure is certainly distressing to youth, it is the wider, co-occurring context of poly-victimization and other types of adversity that appears most impactful in the longer term.

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Psychopathology Among Homicidally Bereaved Individuals

Cited by 35 publications

References 39 publications

Risk of suicide, deliberate self‐harm and psychiatric illness after the loss of a close relative: A nationwide cohort study

Risk of suicide, deliberate self‐harm and psychiatric illness after the loss of a close relative: A nationwide cohort study

Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Rated Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Complicated Grief in a Community-Based Sample of Homicidally Bereaved Individuals

Exposure to Family and Friend Homicide in a Nationally Representative Sample of Youth

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