The DOI matches its Crossref record; 75 of the 75 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Grief interventions for people bereaved by suicide: A systematic review
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Adaption to the loss of a loved one due to suicide can be complicated by feelings of guilt, shame, responsibility, rejection, and stigmatization. Therefore people bereaved by suicide have an increased risk for developing complicated grief which is related to negative physical and mental disorders and an increased risk for suicidal behavior. Grief interventions are needed for this vulnerable population. The aim of this systematic review was to provide an overview of the current state of evidence concerning the effectiveness of interventions that focus on grief for people bereaved by suicide. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search using PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO for articles published up until November 2016. Relevant papers were identified and methodological quality was assessed by independent raters. A narrative synthesis was conducted. RESULTS: Seven intervention studies met the inclusion criteria. Two interventions were based on cognitive-behavioral approaches, four consisted of bereavement groups, and one utilized writing therapy. As five of the seven interventions were effective in reducing grief intensity on at least one outcome measure, there is some evidence that they are beneficial. Bereavement groups tend to be effective in lowering the intensity of uncomplicated grief, as are writing interventions in lowering suicide-specific aspects of grief. Cognitive-behavioral programs were helpful for a subpopulation of people who had high levels of suicidal ideation. LIMITATION: On average, methodological quality was low so the evidence for benefits is not robust. The stability of treatment effects could not be determined as follow-up assessments are rare. Generalizability is limited due to homogeneous enrollments of mainly female, white, middle-aged individuals. CONCLUSIONS: People bereaved by suicide are especially vulnerable to developing complicated grief. Therefore, grief therapies should be adapted to and evaluated in this population. Prevention of complicated grief may be successful in populations of high risk individuals.
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“Group therapy is effective in reducing the intensity of uncomplicated grief”
From Prolonged grief disorder treatment: An approach to COVID-19 grief (2023) · cites this paper as Linde et al., 2017
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Cognitive behavioral programs proved useful for a subgroup of people with complicated grief with high levels of suicidal ideation (Linde, Treml, Steinig, Nagl, & Kersting, 2017).”
From Prolonged grief disorder treatment: An approach to COVID-19 grief (2023) · cites this paper as Linde et al., 2017
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“-Effective for subgroup of people with high levels of suicidal ideation (Linde et al., 2017).”
From Prolonged grief disorder treatment: An approach to COVID-19 grief (2023) · cites this paper as Linde et al., 2017
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“-They are effective for de-escalating uncomplicated grief (Linde et al., 2017).”
From Prolonged grief disorder treatment: An approach to COVID-19 grief (2023) · cites this paper as Linde et al., 2017
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“This dovetails with intervention evidence suggesting potential benefits of group-based and psychosocial approaches for some suicide-bereaved individuals, while also highlighting that the overall evidence base remains heterogeneous and methodologically uneven (Linde et al., 2017;McDaid et al., 2008).”
From Relational and Institutional Disenfranchisement in Suicide Bereavement: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis of Family Members' Experiences (2026) · cites this paper as Linde et al., 2017
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“While little is known of the effectiveness of postvention, this review aimed to investigate what is known of the effects of postvention service delivery models and the components that may contribute to the effectiveness.”
From Suicide Postvention Service Models and Guidelines 2014–2019: A Systematic Review (2019) · cites this paper as Linde et al., 2017
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“They also pointed out the limitations of the field, namely the paucity of intervention research in postvention, the diversity of methodologies used, and the general poor quality of the relevant studies.”
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“The three systematic reviews conducted to-date found some evidence of effectiveness of postvention interventions [24–26].”
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“However, little is known about its effectiveness.”
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“Five of the seven interventions proved efficacious in decreasing grief intensity on at least one outcome measure.”
From Prolonged grief disorder treatment: An approach to COVID-19 grief (2023) · cites this paper as Linde et al., 2017
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“writing therapy (by inviting subjects to write openly and in a safe environment about suicidal thoughts and emotions) has been shown to reduce specific aspects of suicide-related grief compared to those randomly assigned to a control condition.”
From Prolonged grief disorder treatment: An approach to COVID-19 grief (2023) · cites this paper as Linde et al., 2017
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Citations
Cites
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Prolonged grief disorder: psychometric validation of criteria proposed for DSM-V and ICD-11
Prigerson, H. G., Horowitz, M. J., Jacobs, S. C., Parkes, C. M., Aslan, M., Goodkin, K., Raphael, B., Marwit, S. J., Wortman, C., Neimeyer, R. A., et al. (2009) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000121 · Cited by 1,863
Inventory of complicated grief: a scale to measure maladaptive symptoms of loss.
Prigerson, H. G., Maciejewski, P. K., Reynolds, C. F., Bierhals, A. J., Newsom, J. T., Fasiczka, A., Frank, E., Doman, J., & Miller, M. (1995) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/0165-1781(95)02757-2 · Cited by 1,582
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Stroebe, M., & Schut, H. (2010) · OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying · doi:10.2190/om.61.4.b · Cited by 981
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Schlichthorst, M., Ozols, I., Reifels, L., & Morgan, A. (2020) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.12798858
Schlichthorst, M., Ozols, I., Reifels, L., & Morgan, A. (2020) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.12798861
Eco-anxiété, changement climatique et santé mentale
Heeren, A. (2024) · Carrefour des psychothérapies · doi:10.3917/dbu.heere.2024.01.0201
Epidemiological Features and Trends of Suicide Deaths in Babylon Governorate, Iraq
Muhammed, H. K., Baiee, H. A., Yasir, A. A., Yas, R. S., Meteab, M. S., & Alnafie, M. R. (2025) · Medical Journal of Babylon · doi:10.4103/mjbl.mjbl_394_23
A preliminary validation of the traumatic grief inventory-kids-caregiver-report (TGI-K-CR)
Lenferink, L. I. M., & Nieuwenhuijse, A. (2026) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.1080/20008066.2026.2638015
Psychische Gesundheit und Postvention von Suizidhinterbliebenen
Wagner, B., & Hofmann, L. (2026) · PiD - Psychotherapie im Dialog · doi:10.1055/a-2643-2768
Social Connection, Support, and Identity in Grief Interventions: A Scoping Review
McCuaig‐Walton, A., Rathbone, J. A., Cruwys, T., & Evans, O. (2026) · Journal of Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/jasp.70085
Metadata
- Authors
- Linde, K., Treml, J., Steinig, J., Nagl, M., & Kersting, A.
- Affiliations
- Leipzig University (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Kersting, Anette
- Venue
- PLoS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2017-06-23
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- e0179496
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5482439
- OpenAlex
- W2702460881
- Cited by
- 107
- References
- 74
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 1.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Keywords
- complicated grief, suicide bereavement, grief intervention, bereavement groups, therapeutic writing, cognitive behavioral therapy, suicidal ideation, guilt and shame
- MeSH terms
- Grief, Humans, Social Support, Suicide, Writing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
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