Acute Grief Research Articles

Individual and systemic variables associated with prolonged grief and other emotional distress in bereaved children.

Most children confronted with the death of a loved one do not experience persisting psychological problems. However, for some, acute grief reactions develop into prolonged grief disorder (PGD) and other mental health problems. Research findings suggest that bereavement outcomes in children are associated with negative cognitions and avoidant coping and with different parenting behaviours. However, knowledge about factors influencing grief in children is still limited and few studies have examined the relative impact of psychological (individual-level) variables and systemic (family-level) variables in affecting their responses to loss. The aim of the current study was to examine the association of different bereavement outcomes in 8-18 year old children (including levels of self-rated PGD, depression, and posttraumatic stress (PTS)) with sociodemographic variables, individual-level variables (including negative cognitions and anxious and depressive avoidance), and family-level variables (including the severity of caregiver's PGD, depression, and anxiety, and indices of parenting behaviours, rated both by children and by their caregivers). Questionnaire data were used from 159 children plus one of their caregivers, gathered as part of the pre-treatment assessment in a randomized controlled trial. Results showed that most of the children's bereavement outcomes, including PGD severity and PTS severity, were associated with indices of negative cognitions and avoidance behaviours. Caregiver's depression and anxiety showed a very small, yet significant, association with two children's outcomes. Caregiver-rated reasoning/induction (one index of parenting behaviours) showed a small association with children's PTS-related functional impairment. Exploratory analyses indicated that the linkage between parenting behaviour and children's outcomes may be moderated by whether the behaviour comes from father or mother. This is one of the first studies examining how individual cognitive behavioural variables plus the mental health of caregivers and indices of parenting may affect PGD and other outcomes in bereaved children. The findings provide tentative indications that individual and family-level variables influence these outcomes, albeit that more research is urgently needed.

ІНФОРМАЦІЙНИЙ ВПЛИВ ТЕЛЕКОНТЕНТУ НА ПСИХІКУ ГЛЯДАЧІВ У ВИСВІТЛЕННІ РОСІЙСЬКО-УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ ВІЙНИ (НА ПРИКЛАДІ ВСЕУКРАЇНСЬКИХ КАНАЛІВ)

The purpose of this article is to study the informational impact of television content on the psyche of the viewer in the coverage of the Russian-Ukrainian war (on the example of all-Ukrainian channels). Research methodology. Intelligence is based on the following methods: analytical-synthetic, generalization, modeling, forecasting, evaluation of the artistic and informational value of the material, etc. The novelty of the study. The article proves that TV channels, forcing viewers to become virtual witnesses of war events, broadcast stress on them, which can often cause mental trauma or posttraumatic stress disorder. Conclusions. During hostilities, information security becomes especially important, as incorrect or erroneous information can lead to panic, influence the course of events, accelerate internal migration of the population, and negatively affect the image of the state’s top military-political leadership. It can also undermine trust in politicians, their statements and messages, which in turn can affect the conduct of hostilities and harm the expected results of a military conflict. The above fully applies to the audience’s reaction to the coverage of war events by domestic TV channels. Since February 24, 2022, Ukrainian television has been constantly covering events at the front and in the occupied territories, reporting on the enemy’s losses and the successes of the Ukrainian military, recording the crimes of the Russian army, and also telling the stories of war witnesses. In the first weeks of the aggression, Ukrainian television quickly changed its thematic priorities, preferring materials about military events to news about politics, community life, culture, and ecology. This was caused by the fight against Russian propaganda and caused an increase in the quality of Ukrainian television products. In a situation of uncertainty and anxiety, when the picture of the day changes rapidly, the demand for a high-quality analytical product is increasing. Thus, from February 25, 2022, all channels joined the joint project called «Single Marathon», which is coordinated on the basis of the parliamentary TV channel «Rada». Among the factors that increase the traumatic nature of the materials of domestic television channels about the war with Russia: showing a person «by surprise» in a moment of acute grief or despair; demonstration of torture, moral and physical abuse; direct or indirect justification of the aggressor’s actions, showing his triumph and impunity; emphasis on the uncertainty, absurdity of the situation taking place, on the disorganization, chaotic nature of the applied measures; relishing cruelty, giving «bloody» details; disbelief in the future, the image of the situation as hopeless (any possible solution is a tragedy). Among the factors that weaken trauma: faith in the future (orientation on overcoming the tragedy, affirming the possibilities of a better future); clear moral orientation of the audience, emphasis on the basic values of life; examples of resilience and courage of people who got into the war, a description of cases of active resistance; expressing support for the Armed Forces; a call for the unification of all the forces of society, a demonstration of the solidarity of people within the country, a demonstration of the support of the world community

Neural correlates of deceased-related attention during acute grief in suicide-related bereavement

BackgroundIndividuals who have lost a loved one to suicide demonstrate an attentional bias to deceased-related stimuli during early grief. Regulating attention toward reminders of the deceased during acute bereavement may be linked to grief trajectory and pathological grief development. Despite the potential prognostic importance, little is known about underlying neural circuitry correlates of deceased-related grief processing. The current study examines neural substrates of deceased-related attentional processing during acute grief in individuals bereaved by suicide. MethodsThirty-seven participants grieving the loss of a first-degree relative or partner to suicide in the prior six months, underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing an emotional Stroop task using words related to the deceased and a living attachment figure, in order to examine neural correlates of deceased-specific attentional processing. Clinical interviews were conducted at baseline. ResultsDeceased-related attentional bias was associated with blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activation in a brain network, including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and insula. Greater activation of a bilateral prefrontal cluster during deceased-specific attention was negatively correlated with self-reported grief avoidance behaviors. LimitationsLack of non-suicide grief control and small sample size. ConclusionsThese data, if confirmed, indicate a neural network specific to deceased-related attention, and that cognitive control regions within this network appear to be related to grief avoidance behaviors during acute bereavement.

Latent trajectories of DSM-5-TR-based Prolonged Grief Disorder: findings from a data pooling project MARBLES

ABSTRACT Background: With the release of the text revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5-TR), criteria for Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) were included. This necessitates studying grief trajectories based on these criteria. Objective: This is the first study examining latent trajectories of DSM-5-TR-based PGD symptom levels and testing whether specific risk factors (e.g. cause of death) predicted PGD trajectories. Method: We evaluated latent DSM-5-TR PGD trajectories using pooled existing data collected at 6–12, 13–24, and 25–60 months post-loss in Danish and Dutch bereaved adults (N = 398). Latent Growth Mixture Modelling (LGMM) was employed to determine the trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine which risk factors predicted class membership. Results: The four-class LGMM solution with a quadratic term was best-fitting the data. This solution represented four trajectories: High stable PGD (6%), High PGD quick recovery (10%), High PGD slow recovery (35%), and Low PGD symptoms (49%). Participants with a higher educational level were more likely to be assigned to the Low PGD symptoms trajectory compared to High stable PGD and High PGD slow recovery trajectories. Unnatural causes of death increased the likelihood of being in the High stable PGD and High PGD slow recovery trajectories compared to the Low PGD symptoms trajectory. Conclusions: Consistent with prior research, the Low PGD symptoms trajectory was the most common. A significant minority experienced high and stable levels of PGD within five years after the loss. About one-third of participants experienced high acute grief levels that decreased slowly; how slow decreasing symptoms relate to an individual’s functioning requires further attention. This study demonstrates that a significant minority of bereaved people develop acute PGD symptomatology that does not diminish within five years post-loss, emphasizing the need for early screening for PGD to prevent long-lasting complaints.

Influence of loss- and restoration-oriented stressors on grief in times of COVID-19

This study aimed to examine the influence of COVID-specific stressors on cross-sectional and longitudinal bereavement outcomes. According to the Dual Process Model of grief these stress-inducing factors can relate to the loss (loss-oriented stressors) or to manage everyday life (restoration-oriented stressors) and require coping in the grief process. A total of 491 participants (94.1% female; 43.92 years on average; 44.4% loss of a parent) were included at the first measurement time point (T0), of whom 99 individuals also participated in a follow-up assessment 6 months later (T1). Participants frequently reported loss-oriented (on average 7.30 out of 21 queried) and restoration-oriented stressors (on average 6.99 out of 19 queried). Cross-sectionally, higher acute grief intensity was associated with a higher number of loss-oriented stressors, poorer mental well-being, and sociodemographic variables. This effect disappeared longitudinally, with only acute grief intensity and poorer mental well-being at T0 predicting higher prolonged grief at T1. Common resilience factors did not buffer the effects of the pandemic on grief. Loss-oriented stressors seem to be especially relevant for understanding grief and might be a mediator of higher long-term grief. The findings suggest that COVID-specific strains need to be specifically taken into account in the support of bereaved individuals.

Social Distancing is Equals to Cultural Distancing an Analysis on the Bereavement Process during COVID 19 Pandemic in Zimbabwe

Background: Millions around the world have experienced the loss of a loved one due to COVID 19, other various illnesses or natural death (Mortazavi, Assari, Alimohamadi, Rafiee & Shati, 2020). However given the restrictive lockdown regulations due to COVID 19 pandemic most of these individuals did not have the opportunity to bid farewell to their loved ones or bury them properly. The World Health Organisation (2020) warned that the COVID-19 restrictive measures disrupted the regular grief cycle that enables individuals to rapidly adjust to the situation and recover from their loss. For example, social distancing restricts collective mourning. Research suggests that people who mourn alone are likely to experience anxiety, depression, ambiguous loss, acute and complicated grief, which is when people struggle to integrate their loss into their identity. This study analysed the bereavement process of 15 participants whose loved ones died during the outbreak of the COVID-19 in Harare. Materials and Methods: Data for the study was collected using in-depth interviews and qualitative questionnaires. Thematic analysis was used to make sense of the data. Results: The findings of the study revealed that the deceased mostly died in isolation with no one around. Mourning the loss was also highly challenging with participants receiving less in social support thus leading to mourning in isolation. The inability to perform last rites added yet another layer of grief which resulted in prolonged grief among the bereaved and impacted their overall wellbeing. A multi-layered approach is effective in mitigating the psychological effects of mourning in isolation, ranging from case finding to increasing access to public education. Use of the existing structures to better deal with the emerging phenomenon. For example, holding ceremonies, such as virtual memorials in the form of virtual groups, adapting some religious and cultural customs to the structure of the virtual networks, and inviting the bereaved to write letters to the dead person and express their feelings.

The Relationship of Prolonged Grief Disorder Symptoms With Hemodynamic Response to Grief Recall Among Bereaved Adults.

Bereavement is among the most impactful psychosocial stressors for cardiovascular health, and hypertensive episodes accompanying bereavement-related distress are one putative mechanism for this effect. The present study examined hemodynamic responses to the Grief Recall (GR), a promising method for studying the effects of acute grief on cardiovascular function, and the relationship of grief severity to blood pressure (BP) response. N = 59 participants within 1 year of the loss of a close loved one completed the GR, a semistructured interview protocol for eliciting bereavement-related distress (a "grief pang") and cardiovascular response. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were measured at two time points: a) an attention-control baseline and (2) after a 10-minute GR interview. Baseline versus post-GR SBP and DBP differences (i.e., BP response) were measured. Grief severity was examined as a predictor of SBP and DBP response, as well as BP recovery. SBP and DBP increased significantly after GR (SBP, +21.10 mm Hg; DBP, +8.10 mm Hg). Adjusting for variables relevant to cardiovascular function and bereavement (antihypertensive medication use, days since death, gender, age), grief severity predicted the magnitude of increase after GR in SBP but not DBP. No relationship of grief severity and recovery was observed. The observed association between hemodynamic response and grief severity suggests a mechanistic contribution from hemodynamic effects of acute grief episodes to the cardiovascular impact of grief. This is the first study to show that increased symptoms of prolonged grief disorder are associated with an elevated SBP response. The GR may have further utility for research examining physiological responses to bereavement-related emotions.

Teeming With Grief: Sports Teams’ Need for Resources and Support During Bereavement

Although there is awareness of the impact of grief on survivors’ well-being, almost no research exists on the impact of death on sports team bereavement. The present study surveyed 40 members of athletic teams (coaches, staff, and athletes) from various levels to determine what happens in the aftermath of a team member’s death. Findings of the survey indicated that many of the respondents experienced acute grief responses affecting performance, which memorialization and community support was helpful whereas the news media was often not. In addition, a need for appropriate resources and a school bereavement policy specific to student athletes was seen. In line with the dual process model, the responses indicated use of both emotion focused and restoration focused coping. Implications of the findings suggested that addressing bereavement needs for athletes, and their coaches was tantamount to mitigating some of the complications associated with disenfranchised grief.

Barriers and facilitative factors in the provision of first-responder services to persons bereaved following a drug-related death: A qualitative study.

Aim: To broaden our knowledge from the perspective of municipality first-responder services of what prevents and what facilitates the provision of professional assistance to the bereaved after a drug-related death during the acute phase. Method: A reflexive thematic analysis was applied in six focus group interviews with 27 first-responder personnel in Norway. Results: The acute phase presented a challenging and complex support situation. We identified two main barriers: failure to initiate services and difficulties meeting with bereaved persons who use drugs. Facilitative factors were associated with competence and proactive cooperation. We discuss the findings in light of associated stigma, disenfranchised grief and an ecological approach to public services. Conclusion: First-responder professionals must understand drug-related death as a potentially traumatising event and initiate the procedures set out in the national guidelines. To achieve this, first-responder health and welfare services must become more knowledgeable about drug-related loss and bereavement, acute grief reactions and the need for psychosocial follow-up.

Blame Gabriel: Acute Grief Following Death Of a Loved One a Study 0f Self Empowerment Therapy

Objective The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Self Empowerment Therapy in the treatment of acute grief following the death of a loved one. Design Study is a single case study and questionnaire administration design. Method A 26 year old patient diagnosed with acute grief following the death of her partner of 10 years was seen for therapy for 1.50 hours per week for 18 months. Intervention consisted of Self Empowerment Therapy within the framework of the universal psychotherapy modality, using rapport as a barometer to test the effectiveness of interpretations. Results Following the death of a loved one, utilizing a structured approach in establishing and maintaining a satisfactory level of functioning in the life domains of health, family, relationships, profession, education, finances and self, yielded significant outcomes in the treatment of acute grief. This study demonstrates that following the death of a loved one, to establish and maintain an integrated self, a person needs to reduce the discrepancies between actual, ought and ideal selves, whilst at the same time reducing their undesirable behaviors and tendencies. Conclusions Confronting the death of a loved one is one of the most traumatic experiences in life and brings us face to face with our own mortality. Maintaining an integrated self is challenging as the death of a loved one forces the person left behind to redefine their sense of self. An integrated self is achieved by reducing discrepancies between actual - ought self and actual - ideal self, whilst at simultaneously reducing congruency between actual - undesirable self life domains. Self Empowerment Therapy provides a structured approach in managing acute grief following the death of a loved one. This study provides high efficacy for Self Empowerment Therapy in treating acute grief but requires further investigation

Attentional bias during acute grief predicts clinical outcome in suicide-related bereavement

BackgroundIndividuals who have lost a loved one to suicide are at increased risk for developing complicated grief (CG). It is unclear why only a subgroup of bereaved develops pathological forms of grief. Vulnerability may be related to the ability to regulate attention toward reminders of the deceased during the acute phase of grief. Using a longitudinal design, we determined whether loss-related attentional bias during acute grief predicts grief severity one year later. MethodsThirty-seven participants grieving a first-degree relative or partner to suicide in the prior 6 months performed an emotional Stroop task using words related to the deceased, a living attachment figure, living non-attachment figure, and color congruent Stroop to quantify related attentional bias during the acute grief period. Clinical interviews were conducted at baseline (N = 37) and one year later (N = 35). ResultsParticipants showed greater attentional bias to deceased-related word trials compared with living attachment, non-attachment, and congruent trials, controlling for age, time since loss, depression, and psychiatric medication. A greater reduction in grief severity over time was associated with more deceased-related attentional bias at baseline. Self-reported grief avoidance was related to deceased-related attentional bias, with lower avoidance scores associated with greater bias. LimitationsLack of non-suicide grief control and small sample size. ConclusionsLess deceased-related bias following the loss may hinder the transition from acute to integrated grief and result in poorer grief trajectories.

Grief: from the physiological reaction to the psychopathology.

The death of a loved one is a universal experience, and marker of the human condition. Grief, the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to bereavement, is both a ubiquitous and a unique psychological process. Thus, health providers often find themselves in a dilemma, caught between the need to alleviate an individual's distress and impairment, and the danger of overly "pathologizing" their grief reaction. This chapter reviews how acute grief reactions generally evolve over time, the clinical presentation of complicated grief, and finally, other psychiatric disorders that might develop or be precipitated in the aftermath of the death of a loved one, particularly prolonged grief disorder.

Prior pregnancy loss and sleep experience during subsequent pregnancy

ObjectiveTo describe sleep characteristics in the third trimester of pregnancy for women who had a prior pregnancy loss compared to women with no history of loss. DesignDescriptive comparison of baseline data prior to randomization for a clinical trial. SettingParticipants’ homes. ParticipantsEligible women recruited from childbirth education classes during third trimester were over 18 years old, in partnered relationships, spoke English, did not work nightshift or have a diagnosed sleep disorder, and had no current complications or prior pregnancy loss (n = 140). Women with prior miscarriage or stillbirth were offered enrollment in an ancillary study (n = 20). MeasurementsSleep was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and wrist actigraphy. Other measures included relationship satisfaction, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms. For this analysis, only third trimester data prior to randomization were compared. ResultsBoth groups had similar actigraphy-recorded sleep duration (7.1 ± 1.1 hours) and sleep efficiency (83.7 ± 7.9%). However, the pregnancy loss group had significantly (p = .050) worse PSQI scores (7.8 ± 2.6) than controls (6.7 ± 3.1), resulting primarily from the sleep disturbance component (p = .003), specifically bad dreams (p = .030) and legs twitching/jerking (p = .071). Controlling for demographic and health factors in multivariate analyses, prior pregnancy loss was significant for sleep disturbance (p = .047), bad dreams (p = .018), and partner-reported leg twitching/jerking (p = .048). ConclusionsLong after the acute grief of a pregnancy loss, perceived sleep quality can be problematic during the next pregnancy. Whether poor sleep quality is present prior to the pregnancy loss or reflects long-term maternal sleep characteristics require further research.

Potential risk factors for acute grief during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of avoidance processes.

Bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic may have some unique characteristics that become potential risk factors (e.g., absence of grief rituals, no opportunity to say goodbye to the deceased and loneliness caused by social distancing) for acute grief. Avoidance processes could be significant mediators in the context of the pandemic. The current study aimed to investigate whether and how these COVID-19-related risk factors were related to acute grief severity. Bereaved adults (n = 319) who lost significant others during the COVID-19 pandemic completed a self-report questionnaire package measuring COVID-19-related factors, grief severity and depressive and anxious avoidance. Regression analyses suggested that among the three potential risk factors (loneliness, grief rituals and opportunity to say goodbye), loneliness was significantly associated with acute grief after controlling for basic demographic and loss-related information. Structural equation models suggested that depressive avoidance and anxious avoidance partially mediated the associations of loneliness with acute grief severity. The findings indicate that dealing with loss during the COVID-19 pandemic warrants further exploration concerning how potential environmental risk factors may impede adaptation to loss. Depressive and anxious avoidance processes may play important roles in grief interventions for isolated and lonely bereaved people.

Patterns and predictive value of acute prolonged grief and posttraumatic stress in youngsters confronted with traumatic loss: A latent class analysis

Deaths of relatives and peers in potentially traumatizing circumstances may lead to symptoms of prolonged grief (PG, e.g.,yearning, preoccupation) and posttraumatic stress (PTS, e.g., re-experiencing, hypervigilance). There is limited knowledge about how symptoms of PG and PTS co-occur following such events. The current study aimed to identify patterns of DSM-5-TR defined PG symptomatology and PTS in a sample of 213 youngsters, involved in a school bus accident killing seven peers 2 months earlier. Using latent class analysis, three groups were identified evidencing moderate endorsement of most symptoms (Class 1), high endorsement of almost all but the avoidance symptoms (Class 2), and high endorsement of almost all symptoms (Class 3), respectively. Classes differed in terms of levels of grief, PTS, and depression, assessed concurrently, and—in a subgroup of n=137 participants—assessed at 16 month follow-up. E.g., Class 3 membership was associated with a greater likelihood of meeting criteria for DSM-5-TR defined prolonged grief disorder at follow-up. Gender (fewer females in Class 1) but not age and proximity to the accident were associated with class membership. Findings indicate that it is important to identify groups with elevated PG and PTS early after traumatic bereavement who may be en route to persistent mental health problems.

How funerals mediate the psycho-social impact of grief: Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses to a national survey in Japan

BackgroundAs populations age and pandemics continue, grief disrupts the health and productivity of increasingly bereaved populations. While funerals can reconnect old friends and relations to provide psycho-social support, and satisfying funeral participation reportedly reduces such psychiatric complications of grief, the psychological effects of recent restrictions on funerals remains unclear. This first English report of open-ended responses to a Japan-wide survey sheds some light on this by looking at Japanese psychological reflections on their funerals. ObjectivesTo determine what aspects of funerals the Japanese bereaved feel psycho-socially valuable or conversely problematic, and for what reasons. SettingData were collected using anonymized all-Japan postal surveys from 2019 to 2020. Participants288 recently-bereaved chief mourners submitted 353 open-ended responses discussing their experiences and feelings about the funerals they conducted. MethodAnonymized data were divided into positive, regrets, vacillations, and negative comments about the subjects most frequently cited. ResultsMost commonly cited were funeral directors (64), attendees (56), ritual/ceremony (49), and the need for (pre-)planning (40). Respondents profoundly appreciated funeral directors' support, and regretted not having planned better or invited more people to the funeral. Dissatisfaction tended to focus on unexplained expenses and mistakes or offenses in rituals. Many also criticized their doctors for not realistically forecasting their loved ones' demise. ConclusionsResponses validated that responsive funeral directors can significantly support their clients through early acute grief, and that inviting more celebrants to a full funeral facilitates psycho-social support and may obviate future regrets. Rituals too provide memorable means to help survivors deal with grief. Medical professionals should psychologically encourage terminal patients' families to communicate while patients are still coherent; families are strongly advised to discuss funeral plans with their elders before the end of life.

A Deeper Feeling of Grief

Abstract: Since Erich Lindemann's seminal work on 'the symptomatology and management of acute grief' from 1944, it has been common to define grief through its particular emotional structure and dynamics. According to this perspective, grief announces itself in socalled 'pangs of grief' in which the bereaved is occasionally flooded by waves of emotions. This picture has become so ingrained in our understanding of grief that it has defined both public discourse on grief and contemporary clinical constructs. In this paper, I propose that underneath grief's fluctuating emotivity, there is a deeper feeling of grief. This deeper feeling reflects an altered mode of being in the world in which the bereaved experiences herself as 'at a distance' from the worldly. I will refer to this state as world-distancing and emphasize it as a protective affective state that shields the bereaved from a limit situation in which the world has become overwhelming in the absence of the deceased. It is experienced as being in a bubble or as if enclosed in a kind of membrane that shields the bereaved from the intrusiveness and penetrating character of the world. Worlddistancing, however, comes with significant perils if the bereaved are unable to reattach to the world. I outline this danger as a state of existential loneliness that follows from what Eugené Minkowski termed a felt lack of vital contact with the world.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE CONDITION AND CONSEQUENCES FOR PERSONS WHO HAVE SURVIVED THE LOSS OF PEOPLE LOVED BY THEM DURING A WAR

The purpose of the work is to analyze the psychological features of the condition and consequences for people who have experienced the loss of loved ones during a war. Methodology. Stressful situation leads to a violation of emotional regulation, which provokes acute reactions: crying, aggressive and steroid reactions, fear, motor excitement, nervous tremors, apathy. They are normal for such a situation, but do not always meet the understanding of others. The emotional reactions of a person experiencing stress and loss can develop sinusoidally – periods of excitement and activation will be replaced by periods of passivity and apathy. Their combination and dynamics of development are individual and in similar circumstances can be radically different in different victims. Interaction with the victims and relatives of the victims is always based on emotional, cognitive and behavioral characteristics of the period of acute grief. However, it is important to pay attention to the existence of this individual psychological characteristics of man, which significantly affect the development of its typical reactions, and therefore require an individual approach by a specialist. Individual psychological features are determined by the life story of a particular person, his type of response, length of stay in a stressful situation, the level of social support from family and friends, emotional closeness of the person with the deceased and many other factors. The scientific novelty is that the author analyzes the psychological consequences of experiencing the loss of loved ones in connection with the psychological characteristics of their condition during grief. Conclusions. Since the loss of a loved one, especially in war, is an acute stressful situation, the basis of such a choice takes into account the characteristics caused by such stress. Manifestation of these features can be observed in several areas: cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social. The mourner always has “comrades in misfortune” who are able to understand and share his condition, and this sometimes creates a significant emotional detachment. Violation of the meaning-making constructs of the individual, inner integrity, together with a heightened sense of the uniqueness of their own experience lead to the collapse of mental activity and disruption of social adaptation. In some cases, a person in the grieving stage has a phenomenology of post-traumatic stress disorder, which contains symptoms of invasion, avoidance, increased physiological excitability.

The chaplain grieves in silence: marginalisation, disenfranchised grief, and chaplaincy

ABSTRACT The palliative chaplains’ role inevitably places them in continual exposure to acute grief and multiple losses, similarly to other healthcare professionals. This experience of professional-related grief has often been ignored and can be described as disenfranchised grief. However, there are different underlying dimensions within this understanding of disenfranchised grief, as experienced by hospital palliative chaplains, which are distinguishable from the grief experiences of their non-chaplain colleagues in the multidisciplinary team. These disparities are often overlooked by the chaplains themselves as well as by their host institution and their care recipients. These cumulative and recurrent experiences of unacknowledged and unattended grief acutely impact the chaplains’ practice on an ongoing basis. In this paper, I explore and expand on the concept of disenfranchised grief as related specifically to the experience of hospital palliative chaplains. I illustrate that the existing framework for understanding professional disenfranchised grief is insufficient to encapsulate the myriad of influences pertinent to the chaplains’ experience in the hospital setting. I analyse and elucidate on these facets of professional disenfranchised grief pertinent to the idiosyncratic nature of the chaplains’ practice.

Prolonged grief disorder in DSM-5-TR: Early predictors and longitudinal measurement invariance.

Objective:The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, Text Revision includes prolonged grief disorder as a novel disorder. Prolonged grief disorder can be diagnosed when acute grief stays distressing and disabling, beyond 12 months following bereavement. Evidence indicates that elevated prolonged grief disorder symptoms in the first year of bereavement predict pervasive grief later in time; targeting early elevated grief may potentially prevent symptoms getting chronic. There is limited knowledge about the characteristics of people in the first year of bereavement who have an elevated chance of developing full prolonged grief disorder beyond the 12-month time point. This study examined these characteristics.Methods:We used self-reported data from 306 adults who all completed questions on socio-demographic and loss-related characteristics plus a measure of prolonged grief disorder within the first year of bereavement (Wave 1; time since loss: M = 4.97, SD = 3.13 months) and again 1 year later (Wave 2; time since loss: M = 17.84, SD = 3.38 months). We examined the prevalence rates of probable prolonged grief disorder (Wave 2), measurement invariance of prolonged grief disorder symptoms between waves, and associations of socio-demographic and loss-related variables, and Wave 1 prolonged grief disorder with probable prolonged grief disorder at Wave 2.Results:Regarding prevalence, 10.1% (n = 31) met criteria for probable prolonged grief disorder (Wave 2). Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis supported longitudinal measurement invariance of prolonged grief disorder symptoms. People meeting criteria at Wave 1 (except the time criterion) had a significantly increased risk of meeting criteria at Wave 2. Variables best predicting probable prolonged grief disorder at Wave 2 were prolonged grief disorder at Wave 1, lower education, loss of a child and loss to unnatural/violent causes (sensitivity = 56.67%, specificity = 98.12%, 93.92% correct classifications).Conclusion:People meeting criteria for prolonged grief disorder (except the time criterion) before the first anniversary of the death are at risk of full-blown prolonged grief disorder beyond this time point, particularly those who have lower education, confronted the death of a child and confronted unnatural/violent loss. Findings may inform advances in preventive bereavement care.