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. 

Rates of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD): Cause of Death 

Studies have demonstrated that parents grieving the loss of a child display symptoms that meet the criteria for PGD significantly more often than those suffering from the loss of other loved ones. These rates can vary from between 10-94%. Considering the intense and long lasting nature of this type of loss, it is possible that PGD can be overly diagnosed in this subgroup. According to one study, those experiencing the loss of a partner/spouse displayed the second highest amount of PGD symptoms. 

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The rate at which individual's present symptoms of  PGD and the intensity of their symptoms appear to be related to:
- Relationship with the deceased 
 - Cause of death 

Rates of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD)

Thieleman, K., Cacciatore, J., and Frances, A. (2023). Rates of Prolonged Grief Disorder: Considering relationship to the person who died and cause of death. Journal of Affective Disorders, 349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.094 

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