Premature, Untimely, and Traumatic Death of Family Members, and Mental Health Disorders Among Inpatient Substance Users

Abstract

Premature, untimely, or traumatic death of a family member has been shown to be related to later substance use issues among some surviving family members. However, research on these deaths has been limited in that no studies to date have explored associations between these deaths and other mental health disorders co-occurring with substance use. Therefore, this study examined the relationships between premature, untimely, and traumatic deaths of family members (parents, grand- and great grandparents, other family members, and pets) and comorbid psychopathology among a convenience sample of 104 individuals attending treatment for substance use issues. Results indicated that these kinds of death are commonly found within the families of the respondents. In addition, it showed that these deaths were significantly related to higher levels of comorbid anxiety, mood, and personality disorder symptoms. Of particular interest was the finding that these symptoms were significantly related to death among respondents’ grand- and great grandparents rather than among their nuclear families. Further research is needed to assess what kinds of family dysfunction related to death are present in this population and what kinds of interventions may be effective in treating them.