Survivor Guilt in a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Clinic Sample

Survivor guilt is a commonly used term, but little research has addressed its prevalence in clinical samples. A UK traumatic stress clinic sample was systematically assessed for survivor guilt over an 18-month period. Over a third (38.5%) of participants had survived an event in which others died and 90% of survivors reported feelings of survivor guilt. Surviving a fatal traumatic event was associated with higher levels of suicidality, but not PTSD or depression. Guilt about surviving was associated with more severe PTSD. This study suggests that survivor guilt is a common and distressing problem among traumatized clients and requires further investigation.