Grief reactions in veterans: Influence of diagnostic comorbidity, social support, and functional impairment

Abstract

Loss and subsequent complicated grief reactions are common in military and veteran populations. Despite the high occurrence, limited work exists examining complicated grief in veterans. To address this gap in the literature, the present study investigated diagnostic comorbidity, domains of symptomatology, functional impairment, and social support in 166 veterans with clinically significant symptoms of complicated grief. Participants completed a diagnostic interview and various symptoms measures as part of a larger intervention study for veterans with complicated grief. Consistent with prior research, there was significant diagnostic comorbidity with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder, and participants with comorbidity evidenced the most severe symptoms and impairment. Comorbid depressive symptoms were associated with impairments in emotional functioning and reduced social support. Findings highlight the significance of comorbidity and potential symptom overlap between complicated grief, PTSD, and depression, and have direct treatment implications, including use of transdiagnostic psychotherapies targeting common etiological mechanisms, opposed to singular diagnostic categories.