The Long Term Effect of Bereavement and Grief with a Highly- Publicized Violent Death

Abstract

Although grief is often deeply personal in nature with family and friends, the individual who has faced loss in a highly-publicized or violent death often faces additional issues including media and social media scrutiny. Scrutiny may also come from the general community and society at large for years and decades to come. When reaching national and global proportions and/or is prolonged in nature, the survivor may experience additional challenges with potential profound impact on the individual. This article, using interviews and relevant clinical material, examined the unique challenges the individual faces when the loved one died a highly-publicized death.

Keywords:

• Violent death
• high-profile
• grief
• bereavement

Acknowledgements

At this time I wish to fully recognize Skylar (Brown) Richmiller, a former student of Culver-Stockton College who helped transcribe the audio recording of Autumn’s interview and reviewed the typed responses of Chance Muldoon. I also wish to acknowledge and thank Chance and Autumn for being willing to go on record for the case studies despite their fears of their stories being distorted. I also wish to recognize and thank Josie and Alex for allowing me to tell their stories.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kelli Stiles

Kelli Stiles is an Assistant Professor of Psychology, the Psychology Department Chair, the Pre-Occupational Therapy Coordinator as well as the Pre-Art Therapy Coordinator at Culver-Stockton College. She teaches a variety of courses primarily in developmental, clinical, and historical Psychology. She is the author of The Effect of Healing Touch Therapy for Youth Diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (2015).