Coping Strategies and Considering the Possibility of Death in Those Bereaved by Sudden and Violent Deaths: Grief Severity, Depression, and Posttraumatic Growth

Abstract

Findings highlight the differential contributions of coping strategies and their complex relationships with cause of death in contributing to grief severity, depression, and posttraumatic growth. Avoidant coping contributed to negative outcomes and inhibited posttraumatic growth, suggesting its importance as a target for therapeutic intervention. Although supportive and active coping facilitated posttraumatic growth, they had less of a role in mitigating grief severity or depression in this study. Although considering the possibility of death appeared to mitigate negative outcomes among survivors of combat death, avoidance of that possibility is likely protective for the majority of family members whose loved ones return home safely.