Child Bereavement After Paternal Suicide

BACKGROUND. Studies of child suicide survivors are rare and often these studies have not included direct interviews with children. OBJECTIVES. To describe the bereavement process in a sample of prepubertal children whose fathers died by suicide within the previous three years. METHODS. Sixteen prepubertal children, their mothers, and a relative or caretaker were interviewed to examine grief, trauma, and behavior within 25 months of paternal suicide. RESULTS. Reminiscing was the most frequently endorsed grief behavior. Males were more likely than females to score above the standard means for CBCL scores. PTSD scores were significantly related to parental threats of divorce and exposure to death by discovery of the body. CONCLUSIONS. The concept of grief and trauma as separate and overlapping phenomena is supported by the study findings.