Predicting Grief Reactions One Year Following a Mass University Shooting: Evaluating Dose-Response and Contextual Predictors

Authors

Andrew J. Smith Ph.D.
Christopher M. Layne, University of California, Los Angeles
Patrick Coyle Ph.D., Lycoming College
Julie B. Kaplow Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Melissa J Brymer Ph.D., Phy.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Robert S. Pynoos MD, University of California, Los Angeles
Russell T. Jones, Virginia Tech, Blackburg, VA

Publication Date

12-1-2017

Journal

Violence and Victims

DOI

10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-16-00043

PMID

29017639

Published Open-Access

no

Keywords

dose-response, grief, longitudinal, PTSD, post-traumatic stress, risk factors, school shooting, traumatic bereavement

Abstract

This study identifies risk factors for grief following a mass school shooting. Participants (N = 1,013) completed online questionnaires 3-4 months (Time 1) and 1 year (Time 2) post-shootings. We tested models predicting Time 2 grief reactions, exploring direct and indirect predictive effects of exposure variables (physical and social proximity) through hypothesized peritraumatic mediators (peritraumatic perceived threat to self or others) while controlling for Time 1 grief and posttraumatic stress (PTS) reactions, pretrauma vulnerabilities. Findings demonstrate that closer social proximity predicted higher levels of Time 2 grief, directly and indirectly through increasing peritraumatic perceived threat to others' safety. Physical proximity and peritraumatic threat to self did not predict Time 2 grief reactions. Implications for grief screening instruments and theory building research through identifying risk factors and causal mechanisms are discussed.