Point Cluster Suicide: Investigating PTSD and Quality of Life in The Community

Abstract

In 2018, a unique case of mass suicide came to limelight in Burai, Delhi. The mysterious deaths of 11 members of a family unsettled the NCT of Delhi and inflicted a sense of terror amongst the minds of the residents of Burari, and amongst others, the incident ignited curiosity. The general public identifies these deaths most commonly as the ‘Burari Deaths’. Quite strangely, the psychological impact on the community experiencing the event was never formally studied. Therefore, the current study aims at exploring the interrelationship between experiencing a Point Cluster Suicide (‘Burari Deaths’), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (hereinafter ‘PTSD’), and Quality of Life in the community of Sant Nagar, Burari. The sample included a group of exposed participants who resided in Sant Nagar where the incident took place (N = 60) and a group of non-exposed participants (N = 60) who were not exposed to such an event. The findings suggest that there is a negative correlation between PTSD and Quality of Life and a significant difference in Quality of Life between exposed and non-exposed participants. The study does not, however, suggest any significant difference in PTSD between the two groups. However, there is minimal to mild PTSD symptomology in the exposed population.