Abstract
Social support has been shown to facilitate adaptation after bereavement in some studies but not others. A felt sense of social disconnection may act as a barrier to the utilization of social support, perhaps explaining these discrepancies. Factorial and psychometric validity of the Oxford Grief-Social Disconnection Scale (OG-SD) was tested in a bereaved sample (N = 676). A three-factor solution (negative interpretation of others’ reactions to grief expression, altered social self, and safety in solitude) fit the data best and demonstrated excellent psychometric validity. A second three-wave longitudinal sample (N = 275) recruited 0 to 6 months following loss and followed up 6 and 12 months later completed measures of prolonged grief disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and the OG-SD at each time point. High levels of baseline social disconnection were associated with concurrently high psychological distress. The extent to which social disconnection declined over time predicted resolution of psychological distress.
Highlights
Despite the widely held assumption that social support is important in facilitating grief adaptation, evidence for the role of social support in improving bereavement outcomes is inconsistent (Stroebe, Zech, Stroebe, & Abakoumkin, 2005)
We aim to introduce the concept of social disconnection as a potential barrier to the utilization of social support, present a measure with evidence for its factorial and psychometric validity, and provide empirical support for the role of social disconnection in maintaining psychological distress after bereavement
The sense of social disconnection we observed in people with prolonged grief disorder (PGD) appears related to social anxiety in that bereaved individuals fear being overwhelmed by their grief in a social setting and engage in considerable effort to maintain their composed presence (Smith, 2018)
Summary
Despite the widely held assumption that social support is important in facilitating grief adaptation, evidence for the role of social support in improving bereavement outcomes is inconsistent (Stroebe, Zech, Stroebe, & Abakoumkin, 2005). Vanderwerker and Prigerson (2004) found social support in the first 6 months after loss to protect against the development of PGD, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression 5 months later. The source of this discrepancy remains unclear. Because bereaved people may exhibit a broad range of symptoms and social disconnection may play a role in many of them, psychological distress was operationalized as a latent factor composed of symptoms of PGD, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression. We tested whether the OG-SD explained variance in impairment in social and occupational functioning over and above that explained by symptom measures of PGD, PTSD, and depression; we used the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), a measure commonly used to assess impairment that results from physical and mental health problems (Mundt, Marks, Shear, & Greist, 2002)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
