Department of Clinical Psychology, Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Omega (Westport). 2023 Jun;87(2):344-362. doi: 10.1177/00302228211019202. Epub 2021 May 26.
The delivery of death notifications may affect the mental health of bereaved individuals. Police officers are often the first people with whom the bereaved have contact in this exceptional situation. Therefore, it is essential to assess the behavior of police officers and the impact on the bereaved. We examined the experiences of 86 individuals who received the notification through the police and assessed symptoms of prolonged grief, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. The interaction with police was associated with posttraumatic avoidance behavior and the presence of another supporting person was associated with higher scores of depression. Handing out information material and staying with the bereaved was related to a positive evaluation of police behavior. It appears important to identify helpful and problematic behavior for a better understanding and for an adaptation of existing guidelines.
死亡通知的传达可能会影响到丧亲者的心理健康。在这种特殊情况下，警察通常是丧亲者首先联系的人。因此，评估警察的行为及其对丧亲者的影响至关重要。我们调查了通过警察收到通知的 86 人的经历，并评估了长期悲伤、抑郁和创伤后应激症状的症状。与警察的互动与创伤后回避行为有关，而另一个支持人的存在与更高的抑郁评分有关。发放信息材料和陪伴在丧亲者身边与对警察行为的积极评价有关。为了更好地理解和调整现有的指导方针，识别有益和有问题的行为似乎很重要。
