The role of meaning in the psychological process of bereavement: an examination of benefit finding effect

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of benefit finding in the experience following the death of a family member. Two hundred and thirty-four (234) bereaved persons completed a questionnaire of several scales, including benefit finding (Finding Benefits Scale: FBS), optimism, social support, and mental health (a 28-item Japanese version of General Health Questionnaire: GHQ-28). Factor analysis with promax rotation revealed that FBS had three major factors: Appreciation for Life, Own growth, and Appreciation for human relationship. The first two showed a significant correlation with GHQ-28, but Appreciation for human relationship. Optimism similarly had a significant correlation with the two, while the perception of social support after bereavement had a significant correlation with both Appreciation for Life and Appreciation for human relationship. These findings suggested that benefit finding played a role in the psychological process of bereavement.