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Complicated Grief (complicated + grief)
Selected AbstractsPredictors of grief following the death of one's child: the contribution of finding meaning,JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 10 2008Nancy J. Keesee Abstract This study examined the relative contribution of objective risk factors and meaning-making to grief severity among 157 parents who had lost a child to death. Participants completed the Core Bereavement Items (CBI; Burnett, Middleton, Raphael, & Martinek, 1997), Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG; Prigerson et al., 1995), questions assessing the process and degree of sense-making and benefit-finding, and the circumstances surrounding their losses. Results showed that the violence of the death, age of the child at death, and length of bereavement accounted for significant differences in normative grief symptoms (assessed by the CBI). Other results indicated that the cause of death was the only objective risk factor that significantly predicted the intensity of complicated grief (assessed by the ICG). Of the factors examined in this study, sense-making emerged as the most salient predictor of grief severity, with parents who reported having made little to no sense of their child's death being more likely to report greater intensity of grief. Implications for clinical work are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64:1,19, 2008. [source] Are normal and complicated grief different constructs?CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 6 2008A confirmatory factor analytic test Nowadays, much debate in the bereavement domain is directed towards the inclusion of Complicated Grief (CG) as a separate category in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Important within this discussion is the conceptual relationship between CG reactions and normal grief (NG) reactions. This study aims at elucidating this relationship by using data from 456 bereaved young adults, aged 17 to 25 years. We examined the structural distinctiveness of CG and NG reactions, using two criteria sets. The first set ties in with previous research in bereaved adults on the distinctiveness of CG and NG and allows to test the replicability of earlier findings. The second set links up with the recently revised criteria for CG and permits to investigate whether earlier findings hold for the new criteria. For both sets, two models for NG and CG were compared using confirmatory factor analytic procedures. These analyses revealed that CG and NG reactions can be distinguished by their very nature, except for one CG reaction (viz. ,yearning'), that loaded on both factors.,Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Predictors of grief following the death of one's child: the contribution of finding meaning,JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 10 2008Nancy J. Keesee Abstract This study examined the relative contribution of objective risk factors and meaning-making to grief severity among 157 parents who had lost a child to death. Participants completed the Core Bereavement Items (CBI; Burnett, Middleton, Raphael, & Martinek, 1997), Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG; Prigerson et al., 1995), questions assessing the process and degree of sense-making and benefit-finding, and the circumstances surrounding their losses. Results showed that the violence of the death, age of the child at death, and length of bereavement accounted for significant differences in normative grief symptoms (assessed by the CBI). Other results indicated that the cause of death was the only objective risk factor that significantly predicted the intensity of complicated grief (assessed by the ICG). Of the factors examined in this study, sense-making emerged as the most salient predictor of grief severity, with parents who reported having made little to no sense of their child's death being more likely to report greater intensity of grief. Implications for clinical work are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64:1,19, 2008. [source] Diagnosing complicated grief: A closer lookJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2002Brian P. Enright Over the past decade, a number of researchers have proposed a separate DSM category for complicated grief. Recently, there have been attempts to determine empirically the number and nature of variables comprising the complicated-grief syndrome. The present research addresses one such procedure for defining these variables. Combining a past methodology that demonstrated the relative utility of one classification of complicated grief (Worden, 1991) with dimensional concepts derived from other classifications, the present research concludes that a relatively small number of variables account for the concept. These findings are discussed not only in terms of previous research on Worden's categorization and more recent classifications, but, more importantly, in terms of the more global theoretical and methodological issues surrounding the definition(s) of complicated grief. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 58: 747-757, 2002. [source] A 1.5-year follow-up of an internet-based intervention for complicated griefJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 4 2007Birgit Wagner Only recently have psychotherapeutic interventions for complicated grief been developed and evaluated in randomized controlled trials. These trials have reported significant reductions in complicated grief and related symptoms in response to treatment relative to control groups. However, little is known about the long-term outcomes of these treatments. The authors present an evaluation of a 1.5-year follow-up of an Internet-based cognitive,behavioral intervention for complicated grief. Treatment group patients (n = 22) were administered various assessments of complicated grief indicators, including the Impact of Event Scale, the anxiety and depression subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the SF-12. Results indicate that the reduction in symptoms of complicated grief observed at posttreatment was maintained at 1.5-year follow-up. [source] Prevalence and psychological correlates of complicated grief among bereaved adults 2.5,3.5 years after September 11th attacksJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 3 2007Yuval Neria A Web-based survey of adults who experienced loss during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was conducted to examine the prevalence and correlates of complicated grief (CG) 2.5,3.5 years after the attacks. Forty-three percent of a study group of 704 bereaved adults across the United States screened positive for CG. In multivariate analyses, CG was associated with female gender, loss of a child, death of deceased at the World Trade Center, and live exposure to coverage of the attacks on television. Posttraumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and increase in post-9/11 smoking were common among participants with CG. A majority of the participants with CG reported receiving grief counseling and psychiatric medication after 9/11. Clinical and policy implications are discussed. [source] Factors of complicated grief pre-death in caregivers of cancer patientsPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Alexis Tomarken Abstract Purpose: Over the past decade, Prigerson and her colleagues have shown that symptoms of ,complicated grief',intense yearning, difficulty accepting the death, excessive bitterness, numbness, emptiness, and feeling uneasy moving on and that the future is bleak,are distinct from depression and anxiety and are independently associated with substantial morbidity. Little is known about complicated grief experienced by family caregivers prior to the death. This study sought to examine differences in caregiver age groups and potential risk factors for complicated grief pre-death. Method: Two hundred and forty eight caregivers from multiple sites nationwide (20,86 years of age) identified themselves as primary caregivers to a terminally ill cancer patient. Each caregiver was interviewed using the following measures: the Pre-Death Inventory of Complicated Grief-Caregiver Version; the Brief Interpersonal Support Evaluation List; the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV Axis I; the Life Orientation Test-Revised; the SEPRATE Measure of Stressful Life Events; the Covinsky Family Impact Survey; and mental health access questions. Results: The study found that those under 60 years old had higher levels of complicated grief pre-death than caregivers 60 and older (t(246)=2.30, p<0.05). Significant correlations were also found between levels of complicated grief pre-loss and the following psychosocial factors: perceived social support (r=,0.415, p<0.001); history of depression (r=,0.169, p<0.05); current depression (r=,0.158, p<0.05); current annual income (Spearman rho =,0.210, p<0.01); annual income at time of patient's diagnosis (Spearman rho =,0.155, p=0.05); pessimistic thinking (r=0.320, p<0.001); and number of moderate to severe stressful life events (Spearman rho = 0.218, p=0.001). In a multi-variate analysis (R2=0.368), pessimistic thinking (Beta = 0.208, p<0.05) and severity of stressful life events (Beta = 0.222, p<0.05) remained as important factors to developing complicated grief pre-death. Conclusions: These results suggest that mental health professionals who work with caregivers should pay particular attention to pessimistic thinking and stressful life events, beyond the stress of the loved one's illness, that caretakers experience. Additionally, although not reaching significance, mental health professionals should also consider younger caregivers at greater risk for complicated grief pre-loss. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Sense of ,unrealness' about the death of a loved-one: An exploratory study of its role in emotional complications among bereaved individualsAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Paul A. Boelen After a loss, some people develop complicated grief (CG) and depression. A recent cognitive-behavioural model postulates that three processes account for such problems: (a) lack of integration of the loss with implicit autobiographical knowledge about the relationship with the lost person, (b) negative cognitions and (c) avoidance behaviours. In the current study, it was proposed that the ,lack of integration of the loss' is mainly an implicit process, but has an explicit, introspectively accessible counterpart in the form of ,a sense of unrealness' that can be defined as a subjective sense of uncertainty or ambivalence about the irreversibility of the separation. The role of this ,sense of unrealness' was studied using self-reported data from 397 mourners. Among other things, findings showed that items constituting unrealness were distinct from those of CG and depression. In addition, unrealness was significantly associated with CG, when controlling for negative cognitions, avoidance and concomitant depression. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Is Complicated Grief a Valid Construct?CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, Issue 2 2006George A. Bonanno Important progress has been made in conceptualizing and demonstrating effective interventions for complicated grief (CG). The author argues, however, that the CG construct is still poorly understood, and that there remain several important but unanswered questions about the construct's basic validity. Recent research is reviewed that provides preliminary evidence for the CG's incremental validity over other forms of grief-related psychopathology. However, further evidence of incremental validity is still needed. Several prospective studies are also reviewed that support the discriminant validity of CG in relation to more enduring depressive symptoms. However, most studies of CG have failed to make this distinction and have tended to confound CG with longer-term depressive states. The author argues that future research on CG, including intervention studies, needs to allot greater attention to these validity issues. [source] Understanding and Treating Complicated Grief: What Can We Learn from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, Issue 2 2006Anke Ehlers The article outlines possible parallels between the phenomenology and treatment of complicated grief (CG) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In particular, it explores how treatment procedures used in Cognitive Therapy for PTSD (Ehlers & Clark, 2000) may be adapted for the treatment of CG. Stimulus Discrimination may be helpful in breaking the link between everyday triggers and "felt presence" memories of the deceased. Memory Updating procedures may help the patient accept that the deceased is no longer alive and no longer suffering. Reclaiming your Life procedures may help the patient access autobiographical memories that are not linked to the deceased and counteract beliefs about the value of life without the deceased. The article further addresses the necessity of specifying the idiosyncratic beliefs that prevent coming to terms with the death, of understanding the relationship between beliefs and coping strategies, and of distinguishing memories from rumination. [source] Factors of complicated grief pre-death in caregivers of cancer patientsPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Alexis Tomarken Abstract Purpose: Over the past decade, Prigerson and her colleagues have shown that symptoms of ,complicated grief',intense yearning, difficulty accepting the death, excessive bitterness, numbness, emptiness, and feeling uneasy moving on and that the future is bleak,are distinct from depression and anxiety and are independently associated with substantial morbidity. Little is known about complicated grief experienced by family caregivers prior to the death. This study sought to examine differences in caregiver age groups and potential risk factors for complicated grief pre-death. Method: Two hundred and forty eight caregivers from multiple sites nationwide (20,86 years of age) identified themselves as primary caregivers to a terminally ill cancer patient. Each caregiver was interviewed using the following measures: the Pre-Death Inventory of Complicated Grief-Caregiver Version; the Brief Interpersonal Support Evaluation List; the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV Axis I; the Life Orientation Test-Revised; the SEPRATE Measure of Stressful Life Events; the Covinsky Family Impact Survey; and mental health access questions. Results: The study found that those under 60 years old had higher levels of complicated grief pre-death than caregivers 60 and older (t(246)=2.30, p<0.05). Significant correlations were also found between levels of complicated grief pre-loss and the following psychosocial factors: perceived social support (r=,0.415, p<0.001); history of depression (r=,0.169, p<0.05); current depression (r=,0.158, p<0.05); current annual income (Spearman rho =,0.210, p<0.01); annual income at time of patient's diagnosis (Spearman rho =,0.155, p=0.05); pessimistic thinking (r=0.320, p<0.001); and number of moderate to severe stressful life events (Spearman rho = 0.218, p=0.001). In a multi-variate analysis (R2=0.368), pessimistic thinking (Beta = 0.208, p<0.05) and severity of stressful life events (Beta = 0.222, p<0.05) remained as important factors to developing complicated grief pre-death. Conclusions: These results suggest that mental health professionals who work with caregivers should pay particular attention to pessimistic thinking and stressful life events, beyond the stress of the loved one's illness, that caretakers experience. Additionally, although not reaching significance, mental health professionals should also consider younger caregivers at greater risk for complicated grief pre-loss. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||