A hidden crisis: Associations between overdose bereavement, substance use, and mental health.

ABSTRACT: Bereavement following an opioid overdose death (OOD) is a particularly disturbing circumstance of sudden, unexpected loss. Despite epidemic proportions, little is known about grief in the wake of an OOD. We collected cross-sectional survey data from N=158 individuals grieving an OOD, supporting someone actively using opioids, or grieving while supporting similar others, to better understand the mental health impacts of these experiences. Study participants completed assessments of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder (SUD), and prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Regression models examined associations between learning of a close other's opioid use, the OOD of a child, the OOD of a contemporary, increases in substance use following the event,

SUBMITTER: Rosansky JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12818955 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature