Examined scuba divers' responses to four fatal accidents and found that accounts of deaths frequently blamed the victim for the fatality, emphasizing and centering on perceived errors of judgment and skill. Claims these accounts serve as mortality tales and as disclaimers of personal responsibility that mitigate grief and support continued…

Study of the continental United States showed that an index of "southernness" was associated with the homicide rate but not with the suicide rate. However, the rate of suicide by firearms and the rate of lethal accidents with firearms were both associated with this index of southernness. (Author/KS)

Explored death-dip phenomenon, previously reported decrease in death occurring before significant dates, with cohort of 4,800 psychiatric patients. Compared dates of death with each individual's birthday, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Found no death-dip phenomenon, significant increase in accidental death preceding birthdays, suggested suicide…

Examined belief in afterlife and bereavement recovery following death by suicide, homicide, accident, or natural causes. Bereaved persons (n=121) completed scales measuring belief in afterlife, impact of event, perceived recovery, spiritual well-being, emotional pain, and social support. Feeling of recovery following bereavement appeared enhanced…

Interviewed 21 farm families following fatal accident. Identified factors involved in bereaved family members becoming more distant from one another: blaming and fear of blame; economic crisis when farm operator is killed; family differences over expression of feelings; preoccupation and emotional flatness of bereavement; and role of kinship…

Examined impact of cause of death on responses to bereaved individual. Sixty adults listened to audiotape of recently bereaved widow. There were three versions of tape, each identical except for stated cause of death: suicide, accident, or heart attack. Found that respondents were more anxious after interaction than before. Perceptions of person…

Compared parents (N=40) whose adult children died in traffic accidents to parents (N=24) whose adult children died of cancer. Cancer parents tended to experience loss less painfully than did accident parents. Differences between groups were explained by older age of children at death and less intense expression of grief. Circumstances of death…

College students (n=141) rated 30 potentially comforting remarks which might be made to recently bereaved person, having been told that death was either natural and anticipated, natural and unanticipated, suicide, homicide, or accident. Six of 30 responses varied significantly in helpfulness ratings depending upon type of death. Least helpful…

Compared guilt experiences of parents (n=132) whose children (aged 1-36) died by suicide, accident, or chronic illness. Guilt was reported by 92 percent of suicide bereaved parents, 78 percent of accident bereaved parents, and 71 percent of chronic disease bereaved parents. Six sources of guilt (Death Causation, Illness-Related, Childrearing,…