Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 24;19(19):12108. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191912108.
Many emerging adults experience the death of a loved one while they are enrolled as a student in higher education. Bereavement increases the risk of long-term adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Still, as most studies have focused on psychological aspects of grief, little is known about the impact of grief on somatic complaints in students, leaving them vulnerable to health deteriorations. This study aimed to address this gap, and we hypothesized that there is a positive association between grief and somatic complaints in bereaved students. Participants ( = 688) were students enrolled at Flemish universities and colleges in Belgium. Participants filled out an online survey with sociodemographic questions, two scales assessing grief, and somatic grief reactions, and two additional questions inquiring whether participants had experienced other somatic reactions, and whether they had taken any steps to remedy their somatic complaints. Regression analyses revealed that less social support, type of relationship (first-degree relative), and the level of grief were positively associated with somatic complaints, and bereaved students reported various complaints such as feeling pain and strains, thus confirming the hypothesis. As bereaved students may be reluctant to seek support for somatic complaints, the findings indicate that information and psychoeducation for bereaved students and their social environment must address somatic grief reactions and encourage timely help seeking. In addition, staff members at psychosocial and medical services for students should be trained to recognize somatic as well as psychological grief reactions. Appropriately skilled, they can inquire about such complaints and provide adequate support to prevent long-term health ramifications.
许多成年初期的人在接受高等教育时会经历亲人的离世。丧亲会增加长期不良身心健康后果的风险。尽管大多数研究都集中在悲伤的心理方面,但对于悲伤对学生躯体抱怨的影响知之甚少,这使他们容易出现健康恶化。本研究旨在解决这一差距,我们假设在丧亲的学生中,悲伤与躯体抱怨之间存在正相关。参与者(n=688)为在比利时佛兰芒大学和学院注册的学生。参与者填写了一份在线问卷,其中包括社会人口学问题、两个评估悲伤的量表和躯体悲伤反应,以及另外两个问题,询问参与者是否经历过其他躯体反应,以及是否采取任何措施来缓解他们的躯体抱怨。回归分析显示,社会支持较少、关系类型(一级亲属)和悲伤程度与躯体抱怨呈正相关,丧亲的学生报告了各种抱怨,如感到疼痛和紧张,从而证实了这一假设。由于丧亲的学生可能不愿意为躯体抱怨寻求支持,研究结果表明,必须为丧亲的学生及其社会环境提供有关躯体悲伤反应的信息和心理教育,并鼓励及时寻求帮助。此外,学生心理社会和医疗服务的工作人员应接受培训,以识别躯体和心理悲伤反应。他们应该具备适当的技能,询问这些抱怨,并提供足够的支持,以防止长期的健康影响。