Belief in Afterlife as a Buffer in Suicidal and other Bereavement

Abstract

To assess whether degree of belief in afterlife enhanced bereavement recovery following different types of death (suicide, homicide, accidental, and natural), 121 bereaved persons (31% of those asked) whose names were obtained from funeral homes or bereavement groups completed scales measuring belief in afterlife, impact of event, perceived recovery, spiritual well-being, emotional pain, and social support. Multivariate main effects were found for cause of death and high versus low belief in afterlife. Univariate analyses indicated that suicidally bereaved individuals reported feeling less acceptance and, along with those bereaved by accidental death, finding less meaning in the death than those bereaved by other causes. Those with relatively high belief felt relatively more recovery and well-being, and less actively avoided thinking of the death. Apparently the feeling of recovery following bereavement is enhanced by high belief in afterlife, and diminished by losing the loved one via suicide or accident.

Religion and Spirituality in Adjustment Following Bereavement: An Integrative Review

“…In contrast, another cross-sectional study of people dealing with loss of a family member reported that higher afterlife belief was related to greater perceived recovery, less active avoidance of thinking about the death, and enhanced spiritual well-being, although not to level of intrusions (Smith, Range, & Ulmer, 1991).…”

Financial hardship and psychological distress: Exploring the buffering effects of religion

“…These findings are consistent with a long tradition of theory suggesting that otherworldly rewards—e.g., the promise of a better future life, usually depicted as both eternal and glorious—can compensate individuals emotionally for the strains and hardships, both objective and subjective, experienced in their present life (Flynn & Kunkel, 1987; Smith et al, 1991–1992). Elements of Christian teaching, to which many GSS respondents appear to subscribe, also hint at a reversal of fortunes in the afterlife (e.g., “the first shall be last and the last shall be first,” as stated in Matthew 20:16 of the Bible) that may hold particular appeal to persons who have been (or feel that they have been) unjustly deprived or mistreated in this world.…”

“…First, this conviction provides a sense of enduring, eternal significance that transcends the frustrations and failures of this life (Dworkin, 2000; Exline, 2002; Flynn & Kunkel, 1987; Smith, Range, & Ulmer, 1991–1992). As critical theorists have long recognized, the promise of future spiritual rewards allay the resentments and concerns of even those persons who have been mistreated, or who have been unsuccessful in the competitive struggle for material resources (Freud, 1961 [1927]; Marx & Engels, 1955; Schieman et al, 2003; Weber, 1964 [1922]).…”

The supernatural guilt trip does not take us far enough

“…Despite differences in religiosity, individuals who are in mourning commonly report feeling a sense of meaninglessness (Davis & Nolen-Hoeksema 2001;Golsworthy & Coyle 1999;Smith et al 1992;Yalom 1980). Such existential despair, characteristic of the early stages of the grieving process, betrays people's implicit belief that they are part of a privileged social relationship with some abstract agent who exerts a causal influence over their everyday lives.…”