Violent Death

ABSTRACT

Approximately 1 in 3 Americans have a loved one die in a sudden violent manner in their lifetime. This article examines the postevent experiences of three groups of survivors: survivors of victims of motor vehicle fatalities, suicide, and homicide. The article takes the position that experiences vary, in part, because each group faces different challenges created by the mode of death. Challenges are classified as trauma reactions, negative social responses, and efforts to make or finding meaning in the tragedy. The manifestations of these challenges are delineated for each group. Obstacles to survivors' movement are described followed by interventions specific to containing or reducing trauma-based reactions, activating social support to buffer and alleviate the effects of negative social attitudes, and creating the possibility for meaning-making through the intense pursuit of what matters now. These interventions increase the probability that survivors can continue to grow and even thrive in spite of and quite often because of their history.

Key Words:

• Violent death
• complicated grief
• trauma
• meaning-making
• homicide