Frequency of fatal and non-fatal overdoses and response to grief and loss among people who inject drugs: An unexplored dimension of the opioid overdose crisis

Original research
by
Kenny, Kathleen S. et al

Release Date

2022

Geography

Canada

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

No

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

No

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

We examined the association between frequency and types of overdose events (own, witnessed, death of significant person) in the last 6 months with grief and loss responses.

Findings/Key points

Cumulative overdose events were associated with severe responses to grief and loss. Bereavement interventions should consider the complex nature of grief and loss following overdoses.

Design/methods

Cross-sectional tablet-based survey (n=249) of a convenience sample

Keywords

Overdose
Mortality
About PWUD
Illegal drugs