Maladaptive Personality Characteristics, Coping and Situational Factors Predict Symptoms of Complicated Grief and Health Difficulties

Grief responses range from minimal changes in functioning to debilitating, prolonged, complicated grief. The objective of the current study was to clarify the relationship between maladaptive personality characteristics, coping and situational factors associated with symptoms of complicated grief and health difficulties among bereaved individuals who had lost a loved one within the past six months to two years (N = 304; 59% male; M age = 33.49, SD = 9.98, range 20-81). Situational risk factors, coping (self-distancing, denial, substance use, positive reframing, acceptance, religion, self-blame, behavioral disengagement, venting and humor) and maladaptive personality traits significantly predicted either symptoms of complicated grief or health difficulties. Coping strategies partially mediated the relationship between maladaptive personality traits and symptoms of complicated grief and health difficulties. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of maladaptive personality traits and coping strategies in the conceptualization of complicated grief and should be a greater focus of clinical intervention.

How attachment style, mentalization and preparedness for death are associated with pre-loss grief symptoms' severity: A network analysis study in caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients

Several psychological dimensions influence the psychological adjustment of terminally ill cancer patients' caregivers, during the end-of-life phase. The present study explored the associations between attachment styles, mentalization, preparedness for death, and the severity of pre-loss grief symptoms in 102 caregivers of terminal cancer patients. The results of the network analysis showed that insecure attachment dimensions were positively associated with several central pre-loss grief symptoms. Mentalization and preparedness for death showed negative associations with several pre-loss grief symptoms. Interestingly, bitterness showed a negative association with need for approval and a positive association with mentalization. The results provided insight into the grieving process for palliative care providers to implement effective caregiver support interventions.

Parental Attachment Style and Young Persons’ Adjustment to Bereavement

Background

Previous clinical and theoretical work supports the idea that parental attachment style and complicated grief affect young persons’ mental health, but empirical research investigating their impact on young person’s adjustment to bereavement is lacking.

Objective

This study investigated the impact of parental attachment style and complicated grief on young person’s adjustment to bereavement. It was hypothesised that a) parental attachment anxiety, avoidance, and complicated grief would moderate the link between bereavement experience and psychological distress in young persons and b) parental attachment style would moderate the link between parental complicated grief and psychological distress experienced by bereaved young persons.

Method

This was a questionnaire-based case control study, involving two participant groups: 133 parents of young persons who had experienced the loss of the loved one and 101 parents of young persons with no bereavement experience.

Results

Bereaved young persons experienced greater externalising and internalising problems than the non-bereaved only when they were raised by an anxiously attached parent, but when parental attachment anxiety was low, bereaved children had fewer problems than the non-bereaved. When parental attachment avoidance was low, bereaved children also had fewer externalising problems than the non-bereaved. Among the bereaved, high levels of parental attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance amplified the link between parental complicated grief and child post-traumatic stress, while in the presence of low parental anxiety, complicated grief was negatively associated with an immediate distressing response and numbing-dissociative symptomatology.

Conclusions

Psychological vulnerability in bereaved young persons was associated with an insecure parental attachment style.

Alcohol Use and Drinking Motives Among Suddenly Bereaved College Students

Objective: Thousands of Americans grieve the sudden death of a loved one each year. These sudden deaths may be the result of violent deaths, as in the cases of homicide, suicide, or fatal accidents, or may occur as the result of natural causes such as heart attacks or strokes. Sudden loss survivors often experience negative mental health outcomes such as depression, prolonged grief disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Survivors may also misuse alcohol for varied reasons after these losses, which can put them at risk for alcohol-related consequences. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore associations between psychological distress and alcohol-related outcomes among young adults with a history of sudden loss. Methods: A sample of 659 young adults completed a series of self-report measures assessing loss history, psychosocial distress, perceived alcohol-related problems, and drinking motives. Results: Results showed that survivors of sudden, violent losses reported higher rates of past 30-day alcohol use than those who had lost a loved one to a sudden, natural loss or those who reported no loss history. Although there were no statistically significant differences in drinking motives between violent or natural loss survivors, more severe depression symptoms among bereaved individuals were associated with drinking to cope and to conform. Participants experiencing prolonged grief symptoms were also more likely to report drinking to conform. Conclusions: Bereavement-related distress may influence drinking motives among young adults with a history of sudden loss.