The relationship between guilt, depression, prolonged grief, and posttraumatic stress symptoms after suicide bereavement

OBJECTIVE: A profound feeling of guilt and its role in complicating psychological reactions are accepted as central issues in suicide bereavement. However, research examining the relationship of guilt with mental disorders commonly following suicide bereavement is still lacking. This study aimed to examine the association between guilt and symptoms of depression, prolonged grief disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after suicide bereavement, as well as its moderating role in the association between the time which elapsed since bereavement and psychopathological symptoms. METHODS: 154 self-selected adult German participants bereaved by suicide completed online questionnaires assessing sociodemographics, characteristics related to the loss, guilt, depression, prolonged grief, and PTSD. RESULTS: Significant positive correlations were found between guilt and all assessed psychopathological symptoms. Further, guilt was a significant correlate with symptoms of depression, prolonged grief, PTSD over and above sociodemographic factors, and time that elapsed since the loss. Guilt furthermore moderated the link between the time which elapsed since bereavement and depressive symptoms, while this effect was not observed for prolonged grief and posttraumatic stress symptoms. CONCLUSION: Our findings replicate theoretical frameworks linking feelings of guilt with mental disorders after suicide bereavement. Accordingly, they highlight the necessity to adapt psychotherapeutic interventions according to the specific needs of this population to maximize treatment effectiveness.