Traumatic grief following traumatic loss: Nature, correlates, and treatment

Traumatic grief refers to the sudden, unexpected death of a loved one under circumstances that are unnatural and traumatising. Examples are losses due to traffic accidents, terrorist attacks, suicide and homicide. Traumatic losses can lead to traumatic grief, which refers to a combination of separation distress and traumatic distress and, more formally, to a combination of symptoms of persistent complex bereavement disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and often also depression. This article addresses prevalence rates of, and risk factors for, traumatic grief. In addition, cognitive behavioral mechanisms and interventions for traumatic grief are described.