Abstract
Traditional bereavement theories emphasize that it is crucial to work through the emotional meanings of a loss and that the failure to do so typically results in delayed grief symptoms. This article reports data examining these assumptions prospectively across the first 5 years of bereavement. Based on previous validity data, elevated symptoms were defined in terms of 6-month median scores for each measure. Delayed elevations were observed on isolated measures for 3 (7%) participants. However, these elevations were more parsimoniously explained by random measurement error. Furthermore, when a weighted grief-depression composite score was used to maximize the probability of capturing the true (latent) grief variable, not a single case of delayed symptom elevations was observed. Finally, data on emotional processing of the loss at 6 months failed to support the traditional assumption that minimal emotional processing of the loss would lead to delayed grief.
Keywords
GriefPsychologyComplicated griefDepression (economics)Clinical psychologyItem response theoryDevelopmental psychologyPsychotherapistPsychometrics
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
When avoiding unpleasant emotions might not be such a bad thing: Verbal-autonomic response dissociation and midlife conjugal bereavement.
It has been widely assumed that emotional avoidance during bereavement leads to either prolonged grief, delayed grief, or delayed somatic symptoms. To test this view, as well as...
Buffalo Creek survivors in the second decade: Stability of stress symptoms.
A follow-up study of 120 adult survivors of the Buffalo Creek dam collapse of 1972 showed group changes 14 years after the event. Decreased symptoms were noted in all areas, alt...
The varieties of grief experience
The bereavement literature has yet to show consensus on a clear definition of normal and abnormal or complicated grief reactions. According to DSM-IV, bereavement is a stressor ...
Pathological Mourning after the Death of a Domestic Pet
Summary Pathological bereavement reactions following the death of a close relative or friend have been well documented in the literature. Similar grief reactions have been descr...
Self-Enhancement as a Buffer Against Extreme Adversity: Civil War in Bosnia and Traumatic Loss in the United States
In a challenge to traditional views of mental health, Taylor and Brown argued that an overly positive or enhanced perception of the self was adaptive, particularly in conditions...
Publication Info
- Year
- 2001
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 798-816
- Citations
- 13
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
13
OpenAlex
Cite This
George A. Bonanno,
Nicola Field
(2001).
Examining the Delayed Grief Hypothesis Across 5 Years of Bereavement.
American Behavioral Scientist
, 44
(5)
, 798-816.
https://doi.org/10.1177/00027640121956502
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1177/00027640121956502