Bereavement in the Aftermath of Suicide, Overdose, and Sudden-Natural Death: Evaluating a New Measure of Needs

Abstract

Bereavement has been associated with a number of adverse outcomes, including mortality, particularly among those who experience the sudden loss of a close other. With rising rates of sudden death in the United States, fueled by an alarming increase in fatal overdose deaths, identifying bereavement-related needs among the sudden-death bereaved is essential. The present study investigated the factor structure, internal reliability, and validity of the Sudden Bereavement Needs Inventory (SBNI) in a sample of sudden loss survivors (i.e., fatal overdose, suicide, and sudden-natural loss; N = 403). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a six-factor structure, with items reflecting pragmatic, informational, spiritual, relational, meaning, and emotional needs. SBNI factors showed adequate internal consistency, with significant associations between SBNI scores, loss characteristics, and mental health outcomes (e.g., prolonged grief symptoms, meaning-making, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptoms, and anxiety), supporting the scale’s validity and highlighting the potential applicability of the instrument in both research and clinical contexts. Future research should examine test–retest reliability of the SBNI, particularly through the lens of understanding whether and how bereavement needs change over time.

Examining bereavement‐related needs and outcomes among survivors of sudden loss: A latent profile analysis

“…Next, respondents were asked to rate, using a 1–5 Likert‐type response, how important the selected need was at the time of assessment (1 = not at all important; 5 = extremely important). Based on a recent study (Bottomley & Smigelsky, 2021), the SBNI consisted of six factors reflecting distinct bereavement‐related need categories: Meaning Making Needs (e.g., to understand who I am after the loss; to make sense of the loss) , Informational Needs (e.g., to better understand the grief journey following this type of loss), Emotional Needs (e.g., to express my thoughts and feelings about the loss with those I love ), Pragmatic Needs (e.g., to eat well; to sleep well; to successfully complete daily tasks) , Spiritual Needs (e.g., to have an ongoing connection with God; to have an ongoing connection with my spiritual self ), and Relational Needs (e.g., to be with those who experienced a similar loss ). Total scores within each factor are summed to create a composite for that need category.…”

“…Total scores within each factor are summed to create a composite for that need category. Psychometric properties of the SBNI were determined to be strong, including adequate convergent and discriminant validity with acceptable internal reliability within each need factor ( α = 0.70–0.91; Bottomley & Smigelsky, 2021). In the current study, inter‐item reliability was also determined to be acceptable, with alpha values ranging from 0.68 to 0.90.…”

“…To identify needs among individuals bereaved by a sudden loss, the Sudden Bereavement Needs Inventory (SBNI; Bottomley & Smigelsky, 2021) was used. The SBNI is comprised of 21 items that comprehensively assess bereavement-related needs.…”