To evaluate how the suddenness and unnaturalness of death affect general health, depression, and grief, a total of 215 responses to a questionnaire from the bereaved were analyzed. The respondents were divided into five groups: bereaved by suicide, accident, acute illness (<1 day from onset), shorter illness (<1 year from onset), and longer illness. Every sudden-death group indicated averages higher than the clinical threshold on general health scale and depression scale. After statistically controlling for respondents' age, the deceased's age at death, and the months spent with the deceased, differences among groups appeared on all but the subscales of somatic symptoms and of anxiety and insomnia. The difference seemed more apparent on emotional reaction than on physical distress. On pairwise tests suicide was found to be the most distinctive bereavement.

The aim of this study is to clarify precisely the actual status of Japanese bereavement reactions using the Action Research Method. The descriptive data("Grief Twenty-Statement Test: G-TST") were collected at grief recovery workshops, which had been held to assist bereaved persons. The Semantic Contents Analysis Approach was used to analyze 484 statements, which were gathered from 52 subjects who had lost either spouse, child or parent within 2 years. Participant observation over the term of workshops was also helpful for understanding the descriptive data.Results: The descriptive data fell into the three core reaction categories: psychological, behavioral and somatic. Furthermore the psychological category consisted of 3 sub-categories. They were "mood changes", "reminiscences" and "facing reality". From the analysis of the extensive data contained in the "reminiscences" sub-category, it can be seen that the Japanese continue to cherish reminiscences deeply.

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