Consequences and Aftercare of a Traumatic Loss of a Loved One

Prolonged grief disorder criteria are now included in the most recent editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). People who are confronted with a traumatic loss of a loved one, such as sudden, violent, or unnatural losses, are at greater risk to develop mental disorders, including prolonged grief disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression compared with non-traumatically bereaved people. More research is needed to enhance our knowledge on assessment, prediction, and treatment of distress in traumatically bereaved people.

This Research Topic aims to present cutting-edge empirical and theoretical research on distress in traumatically bereaved people. We anticipate that this Research Topic will highlight recent developments in the bereavement field that is of relevance to researchers and clinicians working with bereaved people. Examples of manuscripts for inclusion are field or laboratory studies using sophisticated study designs (for instance cohort studies, clinical trials, and experience sampling methodology/ecological momentary assessment), advanced statistical methods (such as latent class analysis or structural equation modelling), or theoretical work.

While we welcome submissions related to research among various traumatically bereaved samples, we are especially interested in research in underrepresented traumatically bereaved people, such as:

• Bereaved children/adolescents;
• Bereaved people with a refugee background;
• People who lost loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We welcome all article types addressing any of the above aims that contain original work that enhances our understanding of the diagnosis, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of distress in traumatically bereaved people.