Guilt and blame focus
People often feel guilty that they could have done more or differently following the death of a loved one. For example, grieving persons may believe that they should have done more to deter the death or to have lived up to their own hopes in their previous relationship with the deceased (Fleming S, Robinson P. 2001)
Guilt is generally noted as an integral part of depression, and not only as a consequence of the loss of a loved one. Guilt in the bereavement framework has been defined as “a remorseful emotional reaction in bereavement, with recognition of having failed to live up to one’s own inner standards and expectations in relation to the deceased and/or the death” ( Li, Stroebe, Chan, &Chow, 2014).
Self-blame in bereavement literature generally refers to stating self-attributions about the cause of the death, and a sense of accountability due to failure to live up to the ideals of the deceased or one’s self.
The results from a study conducted by Pérez Nieto, & Gordillo (2017)showed that people who have suffered a loss to suicide experience higher levels of guilt than those who have lost a loved one to an accident, perinatal death, and both an expected and unexpected natural death.
These findings support the conclusions presented in the study by Li (2012), in which the incidence of guilt was lower among people who had lost a loved one to a natural death compared with those who had lost one to an unnatural death, including suicide.
