How Is Grief Experienced by People Who Have Lost a Loved One to a Natural Disaster or War?

People who have lost loved ones to a natural disaster or war often experience intense and overwhelming grief due to the sudden, violent, and unexpected nature of these deaths. Some individuals experience a sense of shock or denial. In contrast, others may feel numb or lost in response to the trauma associated with the disaster. In war-related losses, some individuals may also experience feelings of injustice, anger, betrayal, or depression. In some instances, grief may worsen and result in the onset of a psychiatric disorder such as post-traumatic stress disorder, complicated grief, or prolonged grief disorder. 

Another common response to losing a loved one to a natural disaster or war is survivor’s guilt. Survivor’s guilt may be event-based or existential. Event-based survivor’s guilt occurs when individuals question why their loved ones died in a traumatic event while they survived. They may express frustration and shame because they were unable to protect others. They may also fear that something they did or did not do caused others to die, even if that fear has no basis in real events. Existential survivor’s guilt, on the other hand,  is less about a specific event and more about a general sense of unfairness. For example, people who survived a COVID-19 infection may feel guilty because so many others in similar circumstances did not survive.  

There is a higher risk of bereavement complications associated with deaths from natural disasters and similar tragedies. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the death, it may not be possible to retrieve or identify the body of a loved one, and this can further exacerbate feelings of denial. The inability to view the body or conceptualize the death following a natural disaster or war can make it challenging for individuals to process the finality of the circumstances. This may result in ambiguous loss, similar to what people experience in missing persons cases. 

Supporting individuals who have lost loved ones in a war or natural disaster is immensely important in helping them form healthy coping mechanisms as they navigate the grief associated with a traumatic loss. Access to support groups, counseling, and other resources can aid bereaved individuals in their efforts to heal after the loss. Additionally, listening to them and validating their emotions can further facilitate their acceptance of the loss and moving through their grief.  

Sources

“Managing Grief After Disaster Events”. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/disaster_events/for_providers/managing_grief.asp 

“Dreading Yet Hoping: Traumatic Loss Impacted by Reference DNA Sample Collection for Families of Missing People”. National Library of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9013849/