Women’s Retrospective Experiences of Bereavement

Abstract

This study’s goal was to gain a better understanding of why some women become unresolved with regard to loss and others do not. Sixty women were administered (a) the adult attachment interview to assess their childhood relationship with their parents and experience of and response to loss and (b) a grief interview that was coded for circumstances surrounding bereavement experiences: relationship to the deceased, cause of death, suddenness, developmental timing, and emotional support. Women were less likely to be unresolved if they had a secure/autonomous attachment classification. The cause of death, regardless of its inherent suddenness, did not increase the risk of being unresolved. Women were more likely to be unresolved only if they perceived their losses as sudden. No other risk factors were significantly related to being unresolved. Findings from this study have important implications for developing effective intervention programs to help adults cope with losses of important people.