This purpose of this dissertation is to describe definitions of grief and bereavement, theories of grief and related variables, variables which impact on the bereavement event (type of death), the relationship of the survivor to the deceased, age of the survivor and the presence of social support for the survivors. Specifically, this dissertation will focus on the work of Constantino (1994) which examined the effectiveness of nursing postvention on spousal survivors of suicide.

The literature reflects a gap in contemporary literature and a need for further research into the dynamics affecting those left behind when a death occurs as a result of suicide. Subsequent to an extensive review of the literature, there is a documented need to examine the effects of therapeutic intervention (postvention) when a death has occurred as a result of suicide. The literature also reflects differences in the grief process for those who survive a loss as a result of suicide (survivors of suicide) and the grief process for those who have experienced a loss through a natural death event.

There are several key variables reported in the literature which may result in an abnormal or delayed grief process for the survivors of suicide, one of which is the social support which is rendered in a natural death event but withheld in a death by suicide. It is essential that social support be initiated soon after the death event in order for grief work to begin.

This study examined the data collected on two groups of spousal survivors of suicide. There were 30 subjects in the Bereavement Group Postvention (BGP) and there were 30 subjects in the Social Group Postvention (SGP). These subjects were measured at four time intervals, pre, post, 6 month and 1 year after postvention. The subjects were measured on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), the Grief Experience Inventory (GEI) and the Social Adjustment Scale (SAS).

Data analysis consisted of examining the differences within the two groups at the four time intervals, differences among the groups, and group by time. The data revealed there were no statistically significant differences between the groups over time; however there were statistically significant results in subjects over time after receiving the postvention. These findings were statistically significant at the.001 level.

Based on these findings there is a need for further exploration of postvention effects on survivors of suicide and the significance of this intervention for survivors of suicide.