Exploring bereavement experiences among suicide decedents in the U.S.: Insights from the National Violent Death Reporting System

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Bereavement—or the loss of a loved one through death—is a common, stressful life event that can negatively impact health across the life course. Acutely, the death of a loved one is highly disruptive and is associated with a period of heightened emotional pain and psychological distress that can adversely affect the mental health and functioning of the bereaved. In addition, the loss of a loved one is often accompanied by financial or relationship strain (e.g., the loss of a spouse’s income) that can increase distress and worsen mental health. Empirical literature on bereavement has found an increased risk of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, prolonged grief disorder, and suicidal behavior in the immediate aftermath of the loss. For most people, the mental health consequences of bereavement will abate over time as they grieve and adjust to the loss. However, in the context of suicide prevention, bereavement is a period of heightened vulnerability for the development or exacerbation of psychiatric disorders or maladaptive coping behaviors that can have more severe or long-term effects on mental health and suicide risk. To date, studies using national registry data, mainly from Scandanavian countries, have found bereavement to be associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation, attempt, and mortality, and that this effect varies by age, sex, and relationship to the deceased. In addition, suicide risk associated with bereavement can vary by type of death; some studies have found that people bereaved by traumatic or sudden losses (e.g., homicide, suicide, accidents) exhibit an increased risk of suicidal behavior compared to natural or non-violent losses. This is likely due to a lack of time to prepare or process the event or the violence, trauma, or stigma associated with the death, which can impact mental health and grieving processes following the loss. Therefore, understanding bereavement and its role as a sensitive period for suicide risk is essential to improving suicide prevention efforts. However, there is a lack of population-level on bereavement in a U.S. context, particularly for suicide bereavement. Most studies rely on data from smaller, qualitative samples or longitudinal cohorts, and are thus limited by sample size or focus on a particular population subgroup (e.g., older adults). To address this gap, this study will leverage large-scale data from a population-based mortality registry to quantify and describe bereavement experiences among suicide decedents in the U.S. We will analyze data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), which collects and summarizes data from investigative reports (e.g., police or coroner/medical examiner reports) to create a comprehensive data source to inform research and violence prevention. These data are a key resource for suicide prevention and are used to identify and describe risk factors for suicide mortality at the population-level. The authors have previously used NVDRS to examine risk factors related to major life events such as retirement, pregnancy, and transition to long-term care. To our knowledge, there are no studies that have examined solely on bereavement as a stressful life event/precipitating circumstance event for suicide. With a deeper understanding of the scope of bereavement in the lives of suicide decedents, this study will contribute to current literature on the mental health consequences of loss. References: Stroebe M, Schut H, Stroebe W. Health outcomes of bereavement. Lancet. 2007 Dec 8;370(9603):1960-73. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61816-9. Smith-Greenaway E, Verdery AM, Carr D. The new sociology of bereavement. Annual Review of Sociology. 2025 Jul;51:357-375. doi: 10.1146/annurev-soc-090324-035534. Skei-Larssen E, Grimholt TK, Qin P. Risk of deliberate self-harm and suicide in children bereaved from parental death by specific natural and external causes - A national study. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2026 Mar 15;397:120984. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.120984.

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