Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36078746›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2022

Communicating Unexpected and Violent Death: The Experiences of Police Officers and Health Care Professionals.

Diego De Leo, Benedetta Congregalli, Annalisa Guarino, Josephine Zammarrelli, Anna Valle, Stefano Paoloni, Sabrina Cipolletta

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Loss of human life by suicide - lived experiences of suicide survivors and professionals.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Best Practices for Notification of Unexpected, Violent, and Traumatic Death: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.

Diego De LeoAustralian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-8255-6480
Benedetta CongregalliDe Leo Fund, 35137 Padua, Italy.
Annalisa GuarinoDe Leo Fund, 35137 Padua, Italy.
Josephine ZammarrelliDe Leo Fund, 35137 Padua, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-1760-5324
Anna ValleAutonomous Syndicate of Police (SAP), 00184 Rome, Italy.
Stefano PaoloniAutonomous Syndicate of Police (SAP), 00184 Rome, Italy.
Sabrina CipollettaDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padua, 35100 Padua, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9886-5683
Griffith University · AUUniversity of Padua · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe notification of unexpected and violent death represents a challenging experience for police officers and health workers. These professionals are exposed to very intense emotions during this task.

aimWe aimed to investigate the degree of preparation, and the emotions and attitudes of police officers and health professionals while communicating such a death.

methodAn ad hoc online questionnaire was created and disseminated through Qualtrics software. The participants were recruited through the institutional channels of Police, the College of Physicians, the ONG De Leo Fund and the Department of General Psychology of the University of Padua. In this qualitative study, thematic content analysis was used to examine the responses.

resultsA total of 155 individuals participated in the study (44 females, 111 males): 102 individuals were police officers, 23 were doctors and were 30 nurses. Five main themes were identified: (1) how the communication took place; (2) the experiences during the communication; (3) the difficulties encountered; (4) coping strategies, and (5) forms of support. Most communications were performed in person, and most represented an intense emotional experience for the notifiers. There is a generalised lack of specific preparation and training for this practice. The recipient's characteristics (culture of origin, language, age, health conditions, psychological vulnerability) may add to the difficulties of the notification process. Professionals unload their tension by practicing sport, relying on their hobbies or interacting socially. The presence of other colleagues during and after the death notification is usually able to alleviate the burden of the communication.

conclusionsCommunication modalities can have a profound impact on the recipients and intensify the trauma of the loss; however, they also have the possibility of mitigating it. The notification of a violent and unexpected death remains a difficult and challenging task for the notifier, which is potentially stressful and emotionally charged. The topic is of great relevance and more research should be promoted in this area.

Indexed as

Adaptation, PsychologicalPoliceFemaleHealth PersonnelHumansMaleQualitative ResearchSurveys and Questionnairesdeath notificationdoctorsexternal causeforms of supportimpact on recipientsnursespolice officerstraining

Identifiers

PMID36078746
PMCPMC9518522
OpenAlexW4294739304

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.