A loved one's cause of death can have a significant impact on the way their surviving loved ones process and handle their grief. Therefore, it makes sense that certain causes of death may lead to greater PGD symptoms than others. One study found that 56% of participants who lost their loved ones to substance overdose displayed PGD criteria. The second highest occurred in those who lost loved ones to suicide/homicide with 46% of participants reporting these symptoms. This demonstrates that more violent and unexpected deaths can result in more intense and long lasting grief as opposed to sickness (30%) which may give them more of an opportunity to prepare themselves and say their goodbyes.