Mphd. Cleiren et al., PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACT OF BEREAVEMENT AFTER SUICIDE AND FATAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENT - A COMPARATIVE 2-COUNTRY STUDY, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica, 94(1), 1996, pp. 37-44
This study examines the psychosocial problems of spouses bereaved as a
consequence of unnatural causes of death (suicide and traffic fatalit
y) in two countries, Slovenia (n=53) and The Netherlands (n=32). Struc
tured interviews consisted of standardized measures for depression, su
bstance use, social reactions, and acceptance and attribution of the l
oss. Although marked differences in sociodemographic background exist,
bereaved subjects from both countries show more similarities than dif
ferences. Depressed symptomatology is slightly higher in the Slovene b
ereaved, but symptom patterns are almost identical. Core indicators of
clinical depression, as well as reported substance use, are equally l
ow in both countries, and gender and mode of death do not differ signi
ficantly. Social acceptance is more problematic in suicide bereaved, p
articularly in Slovenia. Methodological considerations of cross-cultur
al bereavement studies are discussed.