Making sense of loss and benefiting from the experience: two construals of meaning

[Loss and grieving: the experiences of women who terminate a pregnancy due to lethal fetal malformations]

The scope of this study was to investigate the grieving experiences of women who terminated pregnancies under judicial authorization, due to life-incompatible fetal malformation. Ten women attended in the Fetal Medicine Department of Botucatu Clinical Hospital participated in the study. Data collection was conducted by means of semi-structured interviews forty days after termination. The interviews were recorded and transcribed in full, with the data analyzed from the thematic content analysis perspective. The results revealed that the mothers sought explanations and meanings for the loss, with religious responses and self-blame being very frequent. The reports were marked by feelings of sadness, longing and sensations of emptiness due to the loss of the child, revealing the need of the mothers to dwell on the issue. The mothers were and continued to be linked to their children; the termination of the pregnancy, although being a choice to minimize the pain of an inevitable loss, did not spare the women from experiences of great suffering.>The study includes input for the discussion and planning of health approaches and care for women who terminate their pregnancy due to lethal fetal malformation, by means of judicial authorization.

Terror management theory applied clinically: implications for existential-integrative psychotherapy

Existential psychotherapy and Terror Management Theory (TMT) offer explanations for the potential psychological effects of death awareness, although their respective literatures bases differ in clarity, research, and implications for treating psychopathology. Existential therapy is often opaque to many therapists, in part due to the lack of consensus on what constitutes its practice, limited published practical examples, and few empirical studies examining its efficacy. By contrast, TMT has an extensive empirical literature base, both within social psychology and spanning multiple disciplines, although previously unexplored within clinical and counseling psychology. This article explores the implications of a proposed TMT integrated existential therapy (TIE), bridging the gap between disciplines in order to meet the needs of the aging population and current challenges facing existential therapists.

A pragmatic belief system in family meaning-making after death

The authors explored a sample of families' beliefs concerning creation of meaning in the recent death of the elderly husband and father and his existence in an afterlife. Data were collected through qualitative inquiry. Family members from 34 families were asked about their reaction to their loved one's death. Three themes emerged from participants' responses (a) the significance of context in the father and husband's life and death; (b) family members' folk beliefs; and (c) recalling the after-death ritual. The themes interpenetrate at the point where family members, although doubtful, hoped their loved one continues in an afterlife.

Illustrating an integrated typology of meaning reconstruction in discourse: grief-related disclosures

A typology of meaning reconstruction in grief-related discourse is offered as an extension to extant approaches to meaning making as a factor in relieving distress. Sensemaking, acceptance or resignation without understanding, realization of benefits via positive reappraisal, and realignment of roles and relationships are advanced as the 4 types of meaning reconstruction that are formed by the 4 intersections of Park's ( 2010 ) categorical distinctions in meaning making (i.e., searching for comprehensibility/searching for significance and assimilation/accommodation). Interpretive analysis of grief-related texts from an emotional disclosure study reveals 25 themes across the 4 types. Related theoretical insights and practical implications are discussed.

Two perspectives on the needs of individuals bereaved by suicide

To qualitatively explore the needs of suicidally bereaved individuals, researchers interviewed 11 suicide bereaved individuals and 4 mental health workers. Common themes of bereaved persons included the suicide grief experience, coping, interpersonal domain, struggle with meaning, self-reflection, and moving forward. Mental health workers emphasized the nature of the helping relationship, the need to emotionally process the grief, the centrality of meaning making, importance of support groups, and the role of individual counseling. These 2 perspectives informed "best practices" for postvention (e.g., understanding the need for meaning-making while recognizing when to move on).

Assessing effective coping with bereavement in college students: the Reactions to Loss Scale

The predictive validity of the Reactions to Loss Scale (RTL) was assessed in two studies (N = 185 and 170) of college students who reported a recent loss and their feelings about and preoccupation with the loss. Across a 9-week interval, participants reported an increase in positive feelings about the loss event and a decrease in negative feelings, regret, and preoccupation with the loss. The Positive Reappraisal Scale of the RTL predicted increased positive feelings and a reduction of regret. Avoidance scale of the RTL predicted higher levels of regret and the Loss of Control scale predicted higher levels of negative affect (Study 2). This longitudinal data supports the validity of the Reactions to Loss scale and supports the value of assessing positive, resilient responses to a loss.

Sinnstiftung als persönliche Ressource bei Altenpflegekräften

Bei der Bewertung und Bewältigung von Stressoren im Arbeitskontext spielen persönliche Ressourcen eine zentrale Rolle. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht den direkten und moderierenden Effekt der persönlichen Ressource Sinnstiftung auf emotionale Erschöpfung und Vitalität, eine zentrale Komponente von Arbeitsengagement. Es wurden 208 Altenpflegekräfte in zwölf Pflegeeinrichtungen zu ihren Arbeitsbedingungen (Zeitdruck, emotionale Dissonanz und soziale Unterstützung), Sinnstiftung, emotionaler Erschöpfung und Vitalität befragt. Pfadmodelle zeigen, dass ein Großteil der Varianz in emotionaler Erschöpfung und Vitalität durch die Arbeitsbedingungen aufgeklärt wird. Sinnstiftung weist konsistent einen positiven Zusammenhang mit Vitalität auf und moderiert den Zusammenhang von Zeitdruck und Vitalität. Die Ergebnisse machen deutlich, dass Maßnahmen zur Gesundheitsförderung bei Altenpflegekräften in erster Linie an der Verbesserung der Arbeitsbedingungen ansetzen müssen und die Stärkung von Sinnstiftung als ergänzende Maßnahme zur Steigerung von Vitalität Erfolg verspricht.

Patterns of religious coping among bereaved college students

Contemporary research has suggested that bereavement is a paramount issue in college populations, a group which has historically been underrepresented in grief research (Balk. in Death studies 25:67-84, 2001; Balk et al. in Death Studies 34:459-468, 2010). Indeed, there has been a call to generate new research on grief with specific populations and age groups (Center for the Advancement of Health. in Death Studies 28:568-575, 2004). Religion is often described as a primary way that individuals cope with bereavement in particular (Frantz et al. in Pastor Psychol 44(3):151-163, 1996) and has been shown to effect college student reactions to stress in general (Merrill et al. in Mental Health, Religion & Culture 12(5):501-511, 2009). The RCOPE (Pargament et al. in J Clin Psychol 56(4):519-543, 2000, J Health Psychol 9:713-730, 2004) is a frequently used measure of religious coping, but has not been evaluated with a bereaved undergraduate population. Given that emerging adulthood is a critical developmental phase of religious identity (Fowler. in New Directions for Child Development 3(52):27-45, 1991), the current study examined the factor structure of the RCOPE within a sample of bereaved college students. An exploratory factor analysis was performed, which approximated the factor structure proposed by Pargament et al. (J Clin Psychol 56(4):519-543, 2000). However, a high correlation between the positive and negative religious coping subscales (r = 0.71) detracted from the predictive utility of Pargament et al.'s (2000) two overarching subscales. Therefore, an exploratory factor analysis with an orthogonal rotation was used to identify two uncorrelated subscales (adaptive religious coping and maladaptive religious coping). This new two-factor, 39-item version of the RCOPE was found to demonstrate good internal consistency (α > 0.8) as well as convergent and discriminant validity. The interaction between religious coping strategies and core beliefs about the predictability of the world is explored, and directions for future research and clinical practice are suggested.

The experience of stress and personal growth among grandparents of children with and without intellectual disability

The aim of this research was to examine the contribution of internal and external resources to stress and personal growth among grandparents of children with and without an intellectual disability. Ninety-four grandparents of children with intellectual disability and 105 grandparents of children without intellectual disability completed the following scales: Multidimensional Experience of Grandparenthood; Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support, Level of Differentiation of Self Scale, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Results indicate that group differences are reflected in higher negative emotions among grandparents of children without intellectual disability. In addition, both stress and growth are related to better health, lower level of education, family cohesiveness, and negative emotions. However, whereas stress is associated with the internal resource of self-differentiation, the external resource of social support, and the cost of grandparenthood, growth is associated with gender and the symbolic and behavioral aspects of the grandparenting role. This study aimed to correct the nearly exclusive focus in the literature on negativity, stress, and the burden of grandparenting children with intellectual disability, as well as to test the pervasive assumption that the absence of disability results in an almost entirely positive grandparenting experience with nearly no negative affect.

Meaning-Making and Managing Difficult Feelings: Providing Front-Line End-of-Life Care

Managing grief and difficult emotions related to end-of-life (EOL) care is an often under-recognized part of the work of resident care aides (RCAs). In this interpretive analysis we explore the shared and socially constructed ideas that 11 RCAs in 1 Canadian city employ to make sense of death and the provision of EOL care. RCAs spoke of personal challenges involved in witnessing death and experiencing loss, as well as helplessness and frustration when they could not provide quality EOL care. RCAs invoked “consoling refrains” to manage grief, including “such is life,” “they are better off,” and “they had a full life.” To manage guilt and moral distress, RCAs reminded themselves “I did my best” and “I experience rewards.” Though these ideas help RCAs, some may need to be reframed through coaching and mentorship, to prevent unintended negative effects on care or the reproduction of ageist beliefs more broadly.

Posttraumatic growth in parents and pediatric patients

BACKGROUND

Pediatric medical experiences are potentially traumatic but may lead to psychological growth.

OBJECTIVE

The study objective was to synthesize the published literature regarding posttraumatic growth (PTG) in parents and patients with serious pediatric illness (SPI) into a conceptual model.

METHODS

We systematically searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychInfo, and Sociological Abstracts in December 2012 to identify articles on stress or trauma caused by medical events with PTG as an outcome, reviewing articles pertaining to the pediatric population. We additionally reviewed articles outside pediatric medicine that described a model of PTG.

RESULTS

Of the 605 articles identified, 55 met inclusion criteria, 26 of which examined parents or pediatric patients. Parents and children may experience PTG following medical trauma through a combination of cognitive and affective processing of their subjective experience. Components of SPI-PTG are unclear, but may include greater appreciation of life, improved interpersonal relationships, greater personal strength, recognition of new possibilities in one's life course, spiritual or religious growth, and reconstruction of a positive body image. Individual characteristics, and the level of social support, may affect the likelihood that SPI-PTG will occur. SPI-PTG in siblings and other family members has not been well studied.

CONCLUSIONS

SPI-PTG is an important but understudied and inadequately understood phenomenon affecting children with SPI and their family members. Research should focus on clarifying SPI-PTG domains, creating measurement instruments, assessing SPI-PTG across the pediatric age range and among family members, and improving our understanding of and ability to positively intervene regarding the cognitive processes of rumination, sense making, and benefit finding.

Losing a child: finding meaning in bereavement

BACKGROUND

Confronting the loss of a loved one leads us to the core questions of human existence. Bereaved parents have to deal with the rupture of a widely shared concept of what is perceived to be the natural course of life and are forced into meaning reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to expand upon existing work concerning specific themes of meaning reconstruction in a sample of bereaved parents. More specifically, the relationship between meaning reconstruction, complicated grief, and posttraumatic growth was analyzed, with special attention focused on traumatic and unexpected losses.

METHOD

In a mixed methods approach, themes of meaning reconstruction (sense-making and benefit-finding) were assessed in in-depth interviews with a total of 30 bereaved parents. Posttraumatic growth and complicated grief were assessed using standardized questionnaires, and qualitative and quantitative results were then merged using data transformation methods.

RESULTS

In total 42 themes of meaning reconstruction were abstracted from oral material. It was shown that sense-making themes ranged from causal explanations to complex philosophical beliefs about life and death. Benefit-finding themes contained thoughts about personal improvement as well as descriptions about social actions. Significant correlations were found between the extent of sense-making and posttraumatic growth scores (r s=0.54, r s=0.49; p<0.01), especially when the death was traumatic or unexpected (r s=0.67, r s=0.63; p<0.01). However, analysis revealed no significant correlation with complicated grief. Overall results corroborate meaning reconstruction themes and the importance of meaning reconstruction for posttraumatic growth.

The meaning of loss codebook: construction of a system for analyzing meanings made in bereavement

Recent research on grieving populations has emphasized the role of meaning making in adaptation to bereavement, typically relying on simple self-reports of the extent to which respondents have been able to find sense or benefit in their loss. The present article reports the development of a reliable and comprehensive coding system for analyzing meanings made in the wake of the death of a loved one, yielding a 30-category codebook demonstrating excellent reliability, and comprising both negative and positive themes that arise as grievers attempt to make sense of loss. Based on an intensive qualitative analysis of a diverse sample of 162 adults mourning the natural or violent death of a variety of loved ones, the Meaning of Loss Codebook could prove useful in process-outcome studies of grief therapy, analysis of naturalistic first-person writing about bereavement experiences in grief diaries and blogs, and clinical assessment of meanings made in the course of bereavement support or professional intervention.

Validation of the Integration of Stressful Life Experiences Scale-short form in a bereaved sample

The Integration of Stressful Life Experiences Scale (ISLES) is an assessment of meaning made of stress that has been used successfully with bereaved individuals and other vulnerable populations. Drawing upon information from 741 bereaved respondents, the present study tests the validity of the ISLES-Short Form (ISLES-SF), which is a 6-item version of the original 16-item measure. Tests of concurrent and incremental validity yielded highly similar patterns of results for the full ISLES and ISLES-SF, supporting the use of this briefer version of the scale. Results also highlighted the unique association (controlling for demographics, circumstances of the death, and prolonged grief symptoms) between greater meaning made of loss and higher levels of mental and physical health. These findings add to a growing body of literature that supports theoretical models that view meaning-making as a crucial determinant of adjustment to loss among many grievers.

Posttraumatic growth among men with histories of child sexual abuse

Despite an increased risk of long-term mental health problems, many survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) experience positive changes in areas such as appreciation for life, personal strength, and interpersonal relationships. Drawing on life course theory, this study examined factors related to posttraumatic growth among a sample of men with CSA histories (N = 487). Using multiple linear regression (i.e., ordinary least squares), we found that men who had a better understanding of the sexual abuse experience, who ascribed to less traditional masculine norms, and who experienced a turning point reported greater growth. To promote growth, practitioners can help survivors understand the meaning and impact of the abuse on their lives and deconstruct rigid gender norms. More research on growth is needed with male survivors, especially on the nature of turning points in the recovery process.

Meaning making in cancer survivors: a focus group study

Background

Confrontation with a life-threatening disease like cancer can evoke existential distress, which can trigger a search for meaning in people after having survived this disease.

Methods

In an effort to gain more insight in the meaning making process, we conducted four focus groups with 23 cancer survivors on this topic. Participants responded to questions about experienced meaning making, perceived changes in meaning making after cancer and the perceived need for help in this area.

Results

Most frequently mentioned meaning making themes were relationships and experiences. We found that, in general, cancer survivors experienced enhanced meaning after cancer through relationships, experiences, resilience, goal-orientation and leaving a legacy. Some participants, however, also said to have (also) experienced a loss of meaning in their lives through experiences, social roles, relationships and uncertainties about the future.

Conclusions

The results indicated that there is a group of cancer survivors that has succeeded in meaning making efforts, and experienced sometimes even more meaning in life than before diagnosis, while there is also a considerable group of survivors that struggled with meaning making and has an unmet need for help with that. The results of this study contribute to develop a meaning centered intervention for cancer survivors.

An attentional scope model of rumination

Rumination, defined as repetitive thinking about negative information, has been found to lead to serious maladaptive consequences, including longer and more severe episodes of major depression. In this review, we present and discuss research findings motivated by the formulation that individual differences in cognitive processes that control how information is processed influence the likelihood that thoughts will become repetitive and negative. Several studies have demonstrated that a tendency to ruminate (i.e., trait rumination) is related to difficulties updating working memory (WM) and disengaging from and forgetting no-longer-relevant information. Other investigators have documented that trait rumination is also associated with an enhanced ability to ignore distracting information and with more stable maintenance of task-relevant information. In contrast to trait rumination, a state of rumination has been found to be related to widespread deficits in cognitive control. In this article, we discuss how the current accounts of control functioning cannot explain this pattern of anomalous control functioning. To explain these findings, including unexpected and contradictory results, we present an attentional scope model of rumination that posits that a constricted array of thoughts, percepts, and actions that are activated in WM or available for selection from long-term memory affects the control functioning of trait ruminators. This model explains, at a cognitive level, why rumination is particularly likely to arise when individuals are in a negative mood state; it also accounts for a number of findings outside of the rumination-control literature and generates several novel predictions.

Cognitive behavioral intervention in the Chinese cultural context: a case report

INTRODUCTION

Depression is predicted to become the world's second leading cause of disability by 2020 according to the World Health Organization. Cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI), recognized as a viable and effective treatment for depression, is becoming more widely used among Chinese clients. However, information about the application of this Western approach in the Chinese population is very limited.

METHODS

This paper discusses adaptations of CBI protocols for Chinese patients, considering the major Chinese cultural characteristics of predestination, losing face, avoiding conflict, and Yin-Yang balance (PLAY) for persons with depression.

RESULTS

Illustrated is the application of the PLAY protocol in the actual case of a 35-year-old woman with depression. Implications for integrating Chinese cultural characteristics with CBI are discussed.

DISCUSSION

There is evidence for adaptations of CBI for enhancing its effectiveness among Chinese people within their cultural context. Since there are limited studies on cultural-sensitive CBI for Chinese people, the conclusions drawn from this study are only preliminary. Further studies that verify the findings reported in this paper are necessary.

Meaning reconstruction in bereavement: sense and significance

Recently there has been growing empirical and theoretical attention to the role of meaning in grief along with increased recognition of the need for more sophisticated definitions of meaning. The present article highlights philosophical issues inherent in the study of meaning and grief reviews the place of meaning in current theories of grief and provides a brief overview of the ways that meaning has been operationalized by grief researchers, including sense-making, benefit finding, identity change, and purpose in life. It is argued that, in our focus on the ways mourners make sense of loss, we have neglected an important aspect of meaning: life significance. Life significance is the felt perception that some aspect of one's life experience "matters." The construct is explored as a potentially important outcome of bereavement; mourners may lose life significance along with their lost loved one, or they may develop new avenues to life significance as they confront mortality and rebuild shattered worldviews. Related literature, such as appreciation of life as a facet of posttraumatic growth, is surveyed for clues as to the role of life significance in grief. Suggestions for future study are offered.

Multidimensional future time perspective as moderators of the relationships between suicide motivation, preparation, and its predictors

The moderating impact of future time perspective (FTP) components on the relationships of hopelessness, depressive symptoms, and psychache with suicide motivation and preparation was investigated. In a sample of first year college students (N = 87) recruited on the basis of elevated suicide ideation and depressive symptoms, future thinking, optimism, and future connectedness attenuated the relationship of suicide motivation with depressive symptoms and hopelessness. Future thinking moderated the impact of depressive symptoms on suicide preparation. No moderating effects were found for psychache. This study demonstrates that FTP may buffer against the worst effects of salient suicide predictors among high-risk students.

The influence of age on emotion regulation strategies and psychological distress

BACKGROUND

To date there is promising, yet limited, evidence to suggest that differences exist between older and younger adults' emotion regulation styles.

AIMS

The study aimed to explore emotion regulation style across the adult lifespan by assessing whether self-reported reappraisal, or suppression, differs across age groups, and how these emotion regulation strategies may impact upon psychological distress.

METHOD

Three hundred and seventeen younger, 175 middle-aged and 85 older adults' emotion regulation styles and levels of psychological distress were measured using self-report questionnaires and examined using a cross-sectional design.

RESULTS

The findings suggest that, compared to younger adults, older adults make greater use of suppression, the emotion regulation strategy. This greater use of suppression by older adults was not related to increased levels of psychological distress. By contrast, younger adults who reported high levels of suppression reported higher levels of psychological distress. In addition, older adults reported less anxiety and stress than younger adults, with no age differences in depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest a possible decoupling of the use of emotional suppression and psychological distress with age. Suppression may be a useful form of emotion regulation for the stressors experienced in later life and, arguably, therefore may not be associated with the negative outcomes observed in younger adults.

[Design and validation of the scales for the assessment of the psychological impact of past life events: the role of ruminative thought and personal growth]

INTRODUCTION

Older people's emotional distress is often related to rumination processes focused on past vital events occurred during their lives. The specific coping strategies displayed to face those events may contribute to explain older adults' current well-being: they can perceive that they have obtained personal growth after those events and/or they can show a tendency to have intrusive thoughts about those events. This paper describes the development and analysis of the psychometric properties of the Scales for the Assessment of the Psychological Impact of Past Life Events (SAPIPLE): the past life events-occurrence scale (LE-O), ruminative thought scale (LE-R) and personal growth scale (LE-PG).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Participants were 393 community dwelling elderly (mean age=71.5 years old; SD=6.9). In addition to the SAPIPLE scales, depressive symptomatology, anxiety, psychological well-being, life satisfaction, physical function and vitality have been assessed.

RESULTS

The inter-rater agreement's analysis suggests the presence of two factors in the LE-O: positive and negative vital events. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported this two-dimensional structure for both the LE-R and the LE-PG. Good internal consistency indexes have been obtained for each scale and subscale, as well as good criterion and concurrent validity indexes.

CONCLUSIONS

Both ruminative thoughts about past life events and personal growth following those events are related to older adults' current well-being. The SAPIPLE presents good psychometric properties that justify its use for elderly people.

"It may not be pretty, but it's honest": examining parental grief on the Callapitter blog

Following the death of a child, parents are turning to alternative means of communication to express their grief In this instrumental case study, the authors explore how 1 woman, Amy Ambrusko, communicates her grief experience on her blog, emotionally negotiating loss and parental grief. Guided by M. S. Miles's (1984) parental grief model, the authors argue that the Callapitter blog serves as a case study illustration of online parental grief. Specifically, Ambrusko displays parental grief in three ways: (re)questioning reality, experiencing discursive and corporeal guilt, and rationalizing a "new normal." This analysis highlights the changing nature of communicating about grief and underscores how grief blogs challenge contemporary social death rules.

Cause of death and the quest for meaning after the loss of a child

This study examined patterns of making meaning among 155 parents whose children died from a variety of violent and non-violent causes. Findings indicated 53% of violent loss survivors could not make sense of their loss, as compared to 32% of non-violent loss survivors. Overall, there was overlap in sense-making strategies across different causes of death, with many parents invoking spiritual and religious meanings and the cultivation of empathy for the suffering of others. Nonetheless, violent loss survivors described the imperfection of the world and brevity of life more frequently in their narrative responses than parents who lost a child to natural causes, who in turn were more likely to find benefit in the loss in terms of personal growth. Violent loss survivors--and especially those losing a child to homicide--also reported enhanced appreciation of life more frequently than survivors of non-violent losses, and surviving a child's suicide was specifically associated with a change in priorities in the sample. Findings are discussed in terms of common and distinctive themes in meaning making that clinicians may encounter when working with parental bereavement, and the implications these carry for finding spiritual and secular significance in a traumatic loss.

Expressive Writing Can Impede Emotional Recovery Following Marital Separation

Marital separation and divorce are common life events that increases risk for poor health outcomes, yet few intervention studies explore how to mitigate this increased risk. This study implemented an expressive writing (EW; see Pennebaker, 1997) intervention for adults who experienced a recent marital separation. Ninety participants (32 men) were randomly assigned to and completed one of three experimental writing tasks: traditional EW, a novel (narrative-based) type of EW or control writing. Up to nine months after this writing, participants judged to be actively engaged in a search for meaning concerning their separation reported significantly worse emotional outcomes when assigned to either EW condition relative to control writing. Within the control condition, those participants actively engaged in a search for meaning reported the lowest levels of separation-related disturbance. We discuss these results in terms of the factors that may limit and promote psychological recovery following marital separation.

The Impact of the Unified Protocol for Emotional Disorders on Quality of Life

It has become increasingly clear that mental health is more than just the absence of psychopathology and that there is clinical utility in examining positive aspects of mental health. The present study examined the effects of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders on quality of life in a randomized controlled trial that included individuals with a diverse range of emotional disorders. Results indicated that the Unified Protocol produced significant increases in quality of life when examining both within-individual effect sizes and between-conditions effect sizes compared to a waitlist condition. Furthermore, results indicated that post-treatment levels of quality of life predicted levels of functional impairment independently of diagnostic severity. These results provide further evidence of the importance of examining indicators of mental health in conjunction with markers of psychopathology and provide promising evidence that the Unified Protocol may promote improved mental health in addition to treating psychopathology.

Difficulties accepting the loss of a spouse: a precursor for intensified grieving among widowed older adults

Previous research has identified three distinct factors that make up the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief-Present (TRIG-Present) scale, which tap into grief related thoughts, emotional response, and nonacceptance regarding a loss. In the present study, the authors sought to identify which of these core grief experiences in the early aftermath of loss are predictive of subsequent intensified grieving. Information was collected from 169 conjugally bereaved older adults at 2- and 12-months following the loss of their spouse. Using a cross-lagged panel design, early experiences of nonacceptance were found to significantly predict more intense grief experiences later on; whereas grief-related thoughts and emotional response were not strongly related to grief at 12-months postloss, after accounting for synchronous (cross-sectional) and autoregressive (stability in the same factor over time) associations. These findings suggest that practitioners working with bereaved clients should pay close attention to early expressions of nonacceptance.

Do Korean Immigrant Adolescents Experience Stress-Related Growth During Stressful Intergroup Contact and Acculturation?

Asian immigrant adolescents have a difficult time adapting to unfamiliar customs and cultural values as well as interacting with other ethnic groups. During intergroup contacts and acculturation, Asian immigrant adolescents have negative experiences such as discrimination experiences, intergroup anxiety, interracial tension, and limited social support. In spite of such stressful and negative life experiences, some research has shown that individuals may develop the ability to thrive or grow from stressful life events. Using grounded theory, we explored the characteristics of positive psychological changes that occurred as the result of stressful intergroup contacts and acculturation from the perspective of Korean immigrant adolescents. We captured three main themes related to stress-related growth: (a) psychological thriving, (b) cultural and ethnic understandings, and (c) culturally attuned relationships. This finding implies that stressful intergroup contacts and acculturation provide an opportunity in which Korean immigrant adolescents develop coping abilities and enhance a sense of personal growth.