William Feigelman
Biographic Data
| ID | 226002 |
|---|---|
| NAME | William Feigelman |
| GIVEN NAMES | William |
| FAMILY NAME | Feigelman |
| SIGNATURE | FEIGELMAN W |
| AFFILIATIONS | Nassau Community College |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7978-8368 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 48 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 112 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 48 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1974 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Post traumatic growth among recent suicide loss survivors
Despite many studies of post-traumatic growth among suicide bereaved, information is lacking on recent suicide loss survivors. We investigated this with a diverse national sample of 1132 American adults, experiencing a suicide loss during the last six years. Bereaved reported on their post-traumatic growth, mental health, PTSD, depression, grieving difficulties, perceived stigma, suicidal ideation, and other mental health indicators. Findings con…
Predictors of Stigma, Guilt, and Shame among Adults Bereaved by Fatal Overdose
With the spectacular rise of US overdose deaths, bereavement for these affected families has become a matter of increasing concern. Qualitative research has highlighted the role of stigmatization as well as guilt and shame among this population. However, the magnitude and pre-death predictors of stigmatization, guilt, and shame have yet to be assessed quantitatively. In the current study, we assess the magnitude of stigmatization, guilt, and sham…
Suicide Bereavement Among Black-Americans: Evidence From the General Social Survey
Limited research attention has focused on examining the diverging adaptations of American Blacks and Whites to suicide losses. We utilized the 2016 General Social Survey, which included questions related to experiencing suicide bereavement, investigating hypotheses past studies suggested predicting Blacks face more grieving difficulties than their White counterparts. Comparing White respondents (n = 1,051) to the Blacks (n = 242) we examined conv…
Prevalence and vulnerability for suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adults recently bereaved by suicide
Research with longer-term survivors of suicide loss suggests that suicide bereavement is a major risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behavior (STB). This study examined the prevalence and correlates of STB among a national sample of adults recently bereaved by suicide ( N = 1,132). Nearly one-third ( n = 348; 30.7%) reported lifetime suicidal ideation and 14.4% ( n = 162) reported past-year suicidal ideation. Multivariate analyses indicated tha…
Social Support Somewhat Mitigates Grieving Problems of Recent Suicide Loss Survivors
Although past research shows social support mitigating grieving difficulties among longer-term suicide bereaved, it remains unproven whether this is true among newly bereaved suicide loss survivors. We investigated this question in an online survey of 1,132 recently bereaved adults reporting on their grief difficulties, PTSD symptoms, and depression. Results suggested social support slightly mitigated grief difficulties and PTSD. For people with …
Investigating the Social Correlates Associated With Getting Help After a Suicide or Not: An Important Unexamined Bereavement Question
Seeking to provide more systematic information on treatment-seeking and those not seeking help after a suicide, we investigated demographic, experiential and grief problems related correlates among recently suicide bereaved adults, conducting an on-line survey of a sample of U.S. 1,132 adults who lost a loved one to suicide during the last six years. Focusing upon first-degree relative loss survivors ( n = 222) we hypothesized those not seeking h…
Examining the Associations Between Substance Misuse and Suicide Bereavement
Focusing on the understudied question of substance misuse among suicide bereaved adults we investigated patterns of binge drinking and non-prescribed drug use among a recently bereaved sample ( n = 1,132). Comparing our respondents to the non-bereaved, those in the 2022 National Survey of Drug Use and Health ( n = 71,369), we did not find heightened problematical substance misuses among our respondents. With t -tests and multiple regression analy…
Sexual Assault Victimization in Premature Female Mortalities: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health
Previous research has documented many behavioral problems associated with being a female victim of sexual assault, but little attention has been devoted to whether this experience might be related to premature mortalities. We investigated this utilizing the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health survey, collected from over 10,000 adolescent females in 1995, whose premature deaths ( n = 65) were noted in 2007 in National Death I…
Examining grieving problem correlates of anticipation of the death vs. shock among overdose death and suicide bereaved adults
We conducted an online survey with individuals bereaved by drug deaths ( n = 115), suicide ( n = 185) and sudden natural deaths ( n = 103), including questions about anticipating the death vs. shock, other behaviors, established measures of mental health and grieving difficulties. Results showed more drug death bereaved anticipating their loved one's death while suicide bereaved were more shocked. Death shocked respondents showed greater PTSD, ot…
Using Multiple Regression Analyses to Uncover Patterns of Correlates of Grief Problems, Depression and Suicidal Ideation Among Suicide Bereaved Individuals
This analysis of a convenience sample survey of 195 suicide bereaved adults focuses on predictors of three important highly interrelated experiences among the suicide bereaved: grief problems, depression and suicidal thinking. Although each of these three experiences can be explained by a unique set of predictors, they share many commonalities. Several predictors stood out especially in either aggravating or alleviating these experiences: persona…
Forgive but not forget: From self-forgiveness to posttraumatic growth among suicide-loss survivors
Suicide-loss survivors often experience personal growth in the aftermath of a loss, depending on their personal and interpersonal characteristics. The current study focuses on the role of self-forgiveness (SF) as a contributing factor, both directly and indirectly, to posttraumatic growth (PTG) among suicide-loss survivors. Israeli suicide-loss survivors ( N = 124) completed questionnaires measuring SF and PTG as well as adaptive coping strategie…
Grief and Healing Trajectories of Drug-Death-Bereaved Parents
We explored parents' views of the trajectories of their adult children's eventual deaths from drugs with in-depth qualitative interviews from 11 bereaved parents. Parents reported great emotional distress and high financial burdens as their children went through death spirals of increasing drug involvements. These deaths often entailed anxiety-inducing interactions with police or medical personnel, subsequent difficulties with sharing death cause…
Perceived suicide stigma, secrecy about suicide loss and mental health outcomes
Perceived suicide stigma and consequent secrecy about suicide loss could contribute to impaired mental health among suicide loss survivors. Using online survey data from 195 suicide loss survivors, higher perceived suicide stigma was associated with more grief difficulties, higher suicidality, and less personal growth. Secrecy partly mediated the association between perceived suicide stigma and grief difficulties as well as suicidality and comple…
Do Primary Care Physicians Help the Bereaved With Their Suicide Losses: Loss Survivor Perceptions of Helpfulness From Physicians
Several previous studies suggested that primary care physicians can provide important bereavement assistance to survivors of suicide, yet no study has investigated whether suicide-bereaved patients perceive their physicians as helpful. Contacting bereavement communities on social media, we collected online survey data from 146 bereaved respondents reporting suicides causing them severe emotional distress. Data analysis suggested that nearly half …
Disclosure in traumatic deaths as correlates of differential mental health outcomes
This analysis addresses the controversial question of whether disclosure of a significant other's traumatic death cause is associated with mental health outcomes. Consistent with the limited previous research, this data, collected from 131 suicide bereaved, 10 exclusively drug death bereaved, and six other bereaved respondents, showed fewer grief difficulties and better self-rated mental health among those inclined to openly disclose a significan…
Comparing Facilitator Priorities of Suicide Survivor Support Groups: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between Japanese and American Groups
A total of 56 Japanese and 59 American survivor of suicide support group facilitators were asked to rank the mutual aid objectives of their groups following Shulman's scheme in terms of their frequency and importance. Both American and Japanese facilitators showed an emphasis on personal adaptation goals (such as helping bereaved feel less isolated in their grief or encouraging bereaved to share their coping with loss experiences) over collective…
Examining longer-term effects of parental death in adolescents and young adults: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health
Using longitudinal data spanning a 7-year period, we investigated the behavioral and psycho-social effects resulting from a parent's death during early childhood or teenage years on adolescent and early adulthood functioning. Findings confirmed previous work demonstrating various behavioral problems and social-psychological adjustment deficits during adolescence. Results suggested that most detrimental adjustment behaviors among parentally bereav…
Parental Grief after a Child'S Drug Death Compared to other Death Causes: Investigating a Greatly Neglected Bereavement Population
This comparative survey contrasted 571 parents who lost children to various death causes: 48 to drug-related deaths and overdoses, 462 to suicide, 24 to natural death cases, and 37 to mostly accidental death cases. Groups were compared in terms of grief difficulties, mental health problems, posttraumatic stress, and stigmatization. Results did not show any appreciable differences in these respects between the suicide bereaved parents and those lo…
Suicide Survivor Support Groups: Comings and Goings, Part I
This two-part report examines important aspects of survivor of suicide support groups: some of the motivating factors attracting survivors to join these groups and why many withdraw as time after a loss passes. From a variety of data sources, including survey data collected from 462 parents losing a child to suicide, participant observation data (collected over a 7-year period from more than 200 suicide survivors observed at monthly group meeting…
Suicide Survivor Support Groups: Comings and Goings, Part II
This two-part report examines important aspects of survivor of suicide support groups: some of the motivating factors attracting survivors to join these groups and why many withdraw as time after a loss passes. In this second part we analyze the support group departures issue, drawing primarily upon participant observation data collected over a 7-year period from more than 300 suicide survivors observed at monthly group meetings and from follow-u…
Prospective Predictors of Premature Death: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
This study was based on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), which revealed that 96 of its original Wave I respondents died prior to the collection of the Wave III survey. We compared psychosocial and behavioral characteristics reported at Wave I among those who died and those who lived (n = 16,719) using chi-square tests, t-tests, and logistic regression analyses to determine the most important risk factor…
How They Died, Time since Loss, and Bereavement Outcomes
This analysis explores associations between differing death circumstances and the course of bereavement among a sample of 540 bereaved parents. Comparisons were made between parents whose children died by suicide (n = 462), those losing children from other traumatic death circumstances (n = 54), and others whose children died from natural causes (n = 24). Results were mixed, showing suicide survivors with more grief difficulties and other mental …
Personal Growth after a Suicide Loss: Cross-Sectional Findings Suggest Growth after Loss May Be Associated with Better Mental Health among Survivors
With a diverse sample of 462 parent survivors of their child's suicide we explored the association of the personal growth subscale of the Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist (HGRC) with mental health problems among longer-term survivors. In this article we offer additional validation for this scale's association with longer-term survivorship and reduced grief difficulties. We also demonstrate its negative relationship with mental health problems. In a…
Stigmatization and Suicide Bereavement
With survey data collected primarily from peer support group participants, the authors compared stigmatization responses of 462 parents losing children to suicide with 54 other traumatic death survivors and 24 child natural death survivors. Parents who encountered harmful responses and strained relations with family members and non-kin reported heightened grief difficulties. After controlling for time since the death and whether a child's death w…
Internet Support Groups for Suicide Survivors: A New Mode for Gaining Bereavement Assistance
Taken among parents who sustained the loss of a child to suicide this study explores the participation of parents in Internet support groups, comparing their demographic and loss-related characteristics (N = 104) to other parent survivors participating in face-to-face support groups (N = 297). Contrary to expectations that Internet affiliates would be concentrated in under-served rural areas, we found similar levels of urban, suburban, small city…
The Long-Term Effects of Transracial Adoption
Based on a national survey of 372 adoptive families, the authors compare and contrast the long-term adjustments of Colombian, Korean, and Afro-American transracial adoptees with those of in-racially adopted whites. After adoptees had been in their adoptive homes for at least six years, the results showed that the adolescent and school-aged transracial adoptees were no more poorly adjusted than their in-racially adopted counterparts. This study pr…
Stigmatization and Suicide Bereavement
With survey data collected primarily from peer support group participants, the authors compared stigmatization responses of 462 parents losing children to suicide with 54 other traumatic death survivors and 24 child natural death survivors. Parents who encountered harmful responses and strained relations with family members and non-kin reported heightened grief difficulties. After controlling for time since the death and whether a child's death w…
Adopted Adults: Comparisons with Persons Raised in Conventional Families
With archival data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, this study compares the adult behavior patterns of adoptees (N = 101) and children raised in all other types of attenuated nuclear families (N = 3,949) with those raised till age 18 by both biological parents (N = 6,258). Both adoptees from intact two-parent families and those raised in all other types of disrupted nuclear families showed a higher incidence of problem behaviors dur…
Perceived suicide stigma, secrecy about suicide loss and mental health outcomes
Perceived suicide stigma and consequent secrecy about suicide loss could contribute to impaired mental health among suicide loss survivors. Using online survey data from 195 suicide loss survivors, higher perceived suicide stigma was associated with more grief difficulties, higher suicidality, and less personal growth. Secrecy partly mediated the association between perceived suicide stigma and grief difficulties as well as suicidality and comple…
Examining longer-term effects of parental death in adolescents and young adults: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health
Using longitudinal data spanning a 7-year period, we investigated the behavioral and psycho-social effects resulting from a parent's death during early childhood or teenage years on adolescent and early adulthood functioning. Findings confirmed previous work demonstrating various behavioral problems and social-psychological adjustment deficits during adolescence. Results suggested that most detrimental adjustment behaviors among parentally bereav…
Surviving After Suicide Loss: The Healing Potential of Suicide Survivor Support Groups
With participant observations from peer-facilitated suicide survivor support group meetings, collected over a four-year period, this article applies Shulman's dynamics of mutual aid theory to explain how survivors' healing is facilitated by support group participation. Shulman's principles provide guidance on how survivors help and empower each other to deal with their grief in survivor support groups. Group facilitators can provide more clarity …
Comparing Adolescents in Diverging Family Structures: Investigating Whether Adoptees Are More Prone to Problems Than Their Nonadopted Peers
This paper investigates whether adoptees are more prone to problems than their nonadopted peers. To illuminate this question another known higher problem risk-group was included: children living with one biological parent. Based on data collected from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, adoptees living in two-parent families (N = 369) were contrasted with children living in two-parent biologic families (N = 9,676) and with child…
Peeping: The Pattern of Voyeurism Among Construction Workers
Disclosure in traumatic deaths as correlates of differential mental health outcomes
This analysis addresses the controversial question of whether disclosure of a significant other's traumatic death cause is associated with mental health outcomes. Consistent with the limited previous research, this data, collected from 131 suicide bereaved, 10 exclusively drug death bereaved, and six other bereaved respondents, showed fewer grief difficulties and better self-rated mental health among those inclined to openly disclose a significan…
Using Archival Datasets to Study Adoption-Related Questions
The Research Digest column describes the contents, availability and methods of accessing large datasets suitable for adoption research. With data collected by or funded by a variety of federal government agencies, the accessibility of these archival datasets enables researchers to pursue some of their investigative interests without all the problems related to data collection. Most of the data are relatively new, having become available to the pu…
Problem gamblers, problem substance users, and dual-problem individuals: An epidemiological study
OBJECTIVES: This study compared problem gamblers, problem substance users, dual-problem individuals, and persons without these problems in the general population. METHODS: On the basis of computer-assisted telephone interviews of a random sample of Texas adults (n = 6308) standard instruments were used to gauge substance use and gambling problems in the general population. RESULTS: Compared with those having a substance use or gambling problem on…
Examining grieving problem correlates of anticipation of the death vs. shock among overdose death and suicide bereaved adults
We conducted an online survey with individuals bereaved by drug deaths ( n = 115), suicide ( n = 185) and sudden natural deaths ( n = 103), including questions about anticipating the death vs. shock, other behaviors, established measures of mental health and grieving difficulties. Results showed more drug death bereaved anticipating their loved one's death while suicide bereaved were more shocked. Death shocked respondents showed greater PTSD, ot…
Forgive but not forget: From self-forgiveness to posttraumatic growth among suicide-loss survivors
Suicide-loss survivors often experience personal growth in the aftermath of a loss, depending on their personal and interpersonal characteristics. The current study focuses on the role of self-forgiveness (SF) as a contributing factor, both directly and indirectly, to posttraumatic growth (PTG) among suicide-loss survivors. Israeli suicide-loss survivors ( N = 124) completed questionnaires measuring SF and PTG as well as adaptive coping strategie…
Suicide Survivor Support Groups: Comings and Goings, Part I
This two-part report examines important aspects of survivor of suicide support groups: some of the motivating factors attracting survivors to join these groups and why many withdraw as time after a loss passes. From a variety of data sources, including survey data collected from 462 parents losing a child to suicide, participant observation data (collected over a 7-year period from more than 200 suicide survivors observed at monthly group meeting…
Suicide Survivor Support Groups: Comings and Goings, Part II
This two-part report examines important aspects of survivor of suicide support groups: some of the motivating factors attracting survivors to join these groups and why many withdraw as time after a loss passes. In this second part we analyze the support group departures issue, drawing primarily upon participant observation data collected over a 7-year period from more than 300 suicide survivors observed at monthly group meetings and from follow-u…
The Popularization of Sociology and the Received Tradition
Peeping: The Pattern of Voyeurism Among Construction Workers
The Popularization of Sociology and the Received Tradition
Mixed Families: Adopting Across Racial Boundaries
Adoptive Kinship: A Modern Institution in Need of Reform
Chosen children: New Patterns of Adoptive Relationships
Social Problems Course Materials: Four More Prospects
The Long-Term Effects of Transracial Adoption
Based on a national survey of 372 adoptive families, the authors compare and contrast the long-term adjustments of Colombian, Korean, and Afro-American transracial adoptees with those of in-racially adopted whites. After adoptees had been in their adoptive homes for at least six years, the results showed that the adolescent and school-aged transracial adoptees were no more poorly adjusted than their in-racially adopted counterparts. This study pr…
Adoption: Essays in social policy, law and sociology
Day-care Treatment for Multiple Drug Abusing Adolescents: Social Factors Linked with Completing Treatment
By identifying some of the social correlates linked with completing day-care drug abuse treatment, the present study has sought to broaden understanding of how drug rehabilitations are effected. As the findings have demonstrated, completing care is a result of a complex array of causes and their interaction. The disposition of the entering patient (i.e., their determination and other strengths) has a great bearing on treatment outcome. It is also…
Day-Care Treatment for Youth Multiple Drug Abuse: A Six-Year Follow-up Study
Toward Explaining the Higher Incidence of Cigarette Smoking Among Black Americans
Using the 1987 General Social Survey data, the factors related to the disproportionately higher rates of cigarette smoking by Black Americans were investigated. Previous studies have found smoking to be highly correlated with age, social class, and occupational stress, among other factors. It is uncertain whether race is an independent predictor of smoking rates or whether it is primarily a correlate of other demographic variables. Loglinear mode…
Correlates of Persisting Drug Use Among Former Youth Multiple Drug Abuse Patients
This analysis is based on a follow-up study of 48 White male young adults who had been former youth multiple drug abuse patients in day-care treatment. For the most part, these respondents came from middle-class homes. As youthful offenders, many had been sent into treatment as an alternative to incarceration. Approximately six years after terminating their day-care treatments, interview data were collected when most were in their middle twenties…
Sociology Full Circle
Hands on Sociology: Using Computers to Learn about Society
Adopted Adults: Comparisons with Persons Raised in Conventional Families
With archival data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, this study compares the adult behavior patterns of adoptees (N = 101) and children raised in all other types of attenuated nuclear families (N = 3,949) with those raised till age 18 by both biological parents (N = 6,258). Both adoptees from intact two-parent families and those raised in all other types of disrupted nuclear families showed a higher incidence of problem behaviors dur…
Using Archival Datasets to Study Adoption-Related Questions
The Research Digest column describes the contents, availability and methods of accessing large datasets suitable for adoption research. With data collected by or funded by a variety of federal government agencies, the accessibility of these archival datasets enables researchers to pursue some of their investigative interests without all the problems related to data collection. Most of the data are relatively new, having become available to the pu…
Problem gamblers, problem substance users, and dual-problem individuals: An epidemiological study
OBJECTIVES: This study compared problem gamblers, problem substance users, dual-problem individuals, and persons without these problems in the general population. METHODS: On the basis of computer-assisted telephone interviews of a random sample of Texas adults (n = 6308) standard instruments were used to gauge substance use and gambling problems in the general population. RESULTS: Compared with those having a substance use or gambling problem on…
Gritter, James L., the Spirit of Open Adoption
GRITTER, James L., THE SPIRIT OF OPEN ADOPTION." Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 29(3), pp. 599–600
Adjustments of Transracially and Inracially Adopted Young Adults
Comparing Adolescents in Diverging Family Structures: Investigating Whether Adoptees Are More Prone to Problems Than Their Nonadopted Peers
This paper investigates whether adoptees are more prone to problems than their nonadopted peers. To illuminate this question another known higher problem risk-group was included: children living with one biological parent. Based on data collected from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, adoptees living in two-parent families (N = 369) were contrasted with children living in two-parent biologic families (N = 9,676) and with child…
Youth Problems Among Adoptees Living in One-Parent Homes: A Comparison With Others From One-Parent Biological Families
Exploring how rising family dissolutions affect adopted children, the authors investigated 2 competing viewpoints: (a) a double jeopardy hypothesis, positing adoptees are susceptible to heightened risks of adjustment problems because of a compounding of parental losses, versus (b) a buffering hypothesis, suggesting early birth parent losses buffer an adoptee's ability to accept parental loss from divorce. With data from the 1994 National Longitud…
Are Americans Receptive to Smokefree Bars
It is not known whether the American public accepts smokefree bars and restaurants. Anticipating public displeasure with these ordinances, tobacco, liquor and restaurant industry trade associations have helped to stall efforts to pass laws curbing bar and restaurant smoking in the expectation that diminished patronage would inevitably result. This cross-sectional trend study uses data from the May 1993 and January 1999 Current Population Surveys,…
Internet Support Groups for Suicide Survivors: A New Mode for Gaining Bereavement Assistance
Taken among parents who sustained the loss of a child to suicide this study explores the participation of parents in Internet support groups, comparing their demographic and loss-related characteristics (N = 104) to other parent survivors participating in face-to-face support groups (N = 297). Contrary to expectations that Internet affiliates would be concentrated in under-served rural areas, we found similar levels of urban, suburban, small city…
Surviving After Suicide Loss: The Healing Potential of Suicide Survivor Support Groups
With participant observations from peer-facilitated suicide survivor support group meetings, collected over a four-year period, this article applies Shulman's dynamics of mutual aid theory to explain how survivors' healing is facilitated by support group participation. Shulman's principles provide guidance on how survivors help and empower each other to deal with their grief in survivor support groups. Group facilitators can provide more clarity …
How They Died, Time since Loss, and Bereavement Outcomes
This analysis explores associations between differing death circumstances and the course of bereavement among a sample of 540 bereaved parents. Comparisons were made between parents whose children died by suicide (n = 462), those losing children from other traumatic death circumstances (n = 54), and others whose children died from natural causes (n = 24). Results were mixed, showing suicide survivors with more grief difficulties and other mental …
Psychology (36 works) · Psychiatry (27 works) · Clinical Psychology (25 works) · Medicine (25 works) · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health (23 works) · Clinical Psychology (19 works) · Grief (18 works) · Migration, Health and Trauma (15 works) · Poison control (14 works) · Mental health (13 works)