PTSD IN SURVIVING FAMILY MEMBERS OF DRUNK DRIVING EPISODES - VICTIM AND CRIME-RELATED FACTORS

Victims of drunk driving who die suffer an unnecessary and violent dea th, which intensifies the surviving family members' psychological resp onse to the trauma. Grief models that elaborate stages of the bereavem ent process, although useful, are not helpful for measuring the biopsy chosocial response to this type of death. Post-traumatic stress disord er (PTSD), however, is proposed as a dimension of the grief response. Victim and crime-related characteristics are compared to determine the associations between variables and the occurrence of PTSD symptomatol ogy in victim and nonvictim groups. The results have assessment and tr eatment implications for mental health professionals who work with ind ividuals and families.