Loss of a spouse provokes different reactions, which depend on the mode of death, age of the deceased and bereaved, length of the relationship, personality structure of the bereaved, and the social and cultural demands required after the death. The objective of the study was to obtain the average pattern of bereavement process after different modes of death and how it changes after a period of one year. Suicide survivors group was compared to the groups of bereaved after traffic accidents and after terminal illness. All the respondents were interviewed twice: two months after the death and a year after. The instruments used were the Beck Depression Inventory, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and Bereavement Scale. The results show fewer differences between the groups than expected. The depression level and some other emotional reactions decline over a year and some increase, especially in the group of bereaved after accident. The significant differences between the groups are discussed. The results of the study will be used as a ground for the proposed psychotherapeutic help for the bereaved spouses, of deemed necessary. (A)
Abstract