ABSTRACT
The number of homicides in the United States has increased steadily over the years and in 1981 reached 22,250 (US Department of Justice, 1983). The impact of this form of violence is usually measured only in the loss of life; the consequences for surviving relatives have been virtually ignored as a matter of social concern, as a matter of public policy, and by the field of mental health. There is convincing epidemiological evidence that in all cultures the loss of a close family member is a traumatically stressful event (Holmes & Masuda, 1974). In homicide, the loss follows the murderous act of another person, a factor which, logic suggests, should influence the adaptation of surviving relatives.
