The development of the Grief Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) is reported. This questionnaire is an instrument for measuring various components of grief, including somatic reactions, general grief reactions, search for explanation, loss of social support, stigmatization, guilt, responsibility, shame, rejection, self-destructive behavior, and reactions to a unique form of death. Initial results with the GEQ suggest its potential to differentiate grief reactions experienced by suicide survivors from those experienced by survivors of accidental death, unexpected natural death, and expected natural death. Conclusions support its use in redressing common methodological criticisms of suicide survivor research. Six additional benefits derived from use of this instrument are discussed.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of social support and exposure to combat on the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Vietnam veterans. A second purpose was to examine the influence of premorbid psychological adjustment on PTSD. Questionnaires were mailed to a population of Vietnam veterans, yielding a sample of 52 veterans who were blocked into four groups in a 2 (social support) by 2 (combat level) design. Home interviews were conducted, and comparisons among the groups were made regarding presence of PTSD symptoms, depression, and other psychological disturbance. Results found that veterans who received high social support reported fewer symptoms, and veterans with high combat trauma reported more symptoms. Generally, a significant interaction between social support and combat level was not found. Premorbid functioning was not found to differ among the four groups, suggesting little relationship to PTSD symptoms.