Attentional bias in complicated grief

Abstract

BackgroundComplicated Grief (CG) is a debilitating potential consequence of bereavement. Despite the significant health costs associated with CG, relatively little is known about the cognitive processes associated with the condition. This study investigated information processing in CG. MethodTwenty four individuals with CG and 25 bereaved individuals without CG completed a modified emotional Stroop task in which they were presented with death-related and neutral cue words. Half of the participants were also given instructions to suppress thoughts of their loved one's death while completing the task. ResultsCG participants were slower to color name death-related words than No-CG participants, and were slower to color name death-related words than neutral words. This pattern of findings suggests an attentional bias towards loss-related events. ConclusionsThis study represents the first demonstration of an information bias within CG. Consistent with cognitive models of CG, it is possible that dysphoric mood and preoccupation with the loss are maintained by selectively attending to reminders of the loss.