Harris Celia B, Brookman Ruth, O'Connor Maja
The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Australia, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2214 Australia.
Unit for Bereavement Research, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 11, Building 1351, 319, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Curr Psychol. 2023;42(13):11223-11233. doi: 10.1007/s12144-021-02343-w. Epub 2021 Oct 22.
The death of a loved one has been associated with a range of emotional and cognitive impacts, with up to 10% of the bereaved population experiencing a prolonged grief reaction. Direct investigation of the role of self-identity in the maintenance of grief symptoms is limited and has not discriminated between relationship type. This longitudinal study investigated the differences in grief symptoms over time depending on relationship to the deceased person (partner or adult child), as well as the association between long-term grief symptoms and identity, attachment, and cognitive interdependence. Data from bereaved partners and adult children in The Aarhus Bereavement Study at two- and 18-months post-bereavement were included in this study. They completed questionnaires measuring their grief symptoms at both time points, a measure of attachment at Time 1, and measures of the interdependence of their pre- and post-loss identity with the deceased, their cognitive interdependence, and everyday memory retrieval failures at Time 4. Compared with adult children, bereaved partners experienced more intense grief symptoms at both time points. Regression analysis identified that over and above immediate grief symptoms, key predictors of prolonged grief symptoms were a merged post-bereavement identity with the deceased, younger age, and everyday memory retrieval difficulties. Relationship type and pre-bereavement identity contributed to initial but not prolonged grief symptoms. We discuss these findings in terms of the role of interdependence in prolonged grief.
亲人的离世会带来一系列情绪和认知方面的影响，多达10%的 bereaved population会经历长期悲伤反应。对自我认同在维持悲伤症状中所起作用的直接研究有限，且未区分关系类型。这项纵向研究调查了悲伤症状随时间的差异，具体取决于与逝者的关系（伴侣或成年子女），以及长期悲伤症状与认同、依恋和认知相互依赖之间的关联。来自奥尔胡斯悲伤研究中丧亲伴侣和成年子女在丧亲后两个月和18个月的数据被纳入本研究。他们在两个时间点都完成了测量悲伤症状的问卷，在时间1完成了一项依恋测量，以及在时间4完成了关于他们丧亲前后身份与逝者的相互依赖、认知相互依赖和日常记忆检索失败的测量。与成年子女相比，丧亲伴侣在两个时间点都经历了更强烈的悲伤症状。回归分析表明，除了即时悲伤症状外，长期悲伤症状的关键预测因素是丧亲后与逝者合并的身份、较年轻的年龄以及日常记忆检索困难。关系类型和丧亲前的身份对初始悲伤症状有影响，但对长期悲伤症状没有影响。我们根据相互依赖在长期悲伤中的作用来讨论这些发现。
