Biomedical subjects

Margaret S Stroebe

Publications and source records attributed to Margaret S Stroebe.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Continuing relationships with the deceased: disentangling bonds and grief.

Some studies of the relationship between continuing bonds and grief intensity have claimed that continuing bonds lead to poor adaptation to bereavement. However, operationalizations of continuing bonds and grief intensity appear to overlap conceptually. Thus, it is still unclear what character the connection between continuing bonds and grief bears and how strong the relationship is. Three studies are reported, 2 of which examine the perception of conceptual overlap between continuing bonds and grief intensity, and 1 that examines whether reducing this perceived conceptual overlap affects the association between continuing bonds and grief intensity. In the first 2 studies, extent of perception of conceptual overlap was established, and subscales for the bonds and grief measures were derived that could be considered less overlapping. In the third study, relationships between bonds, grief, and well-being were calculated for the original scales and those reduced on the basis of deleted perceived overlap. When conceptual overlap was reduced, the relationship between grief and continuing bonds was slightly lower but not significantly so, as happened to the relationship between bonds and well-being. By contrast, the link between grief intensity and well-being did not diminish after deleting the overlapping items. These patterns suggest that future research should continue to explore whether the association between continuing bonds and grief intensity is due to conceptual overlap.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2006

Continuing bonds and grief: a prospective analysis.

Using data of 56 bereaved individuals, this study examined associations of various manifestations of continuing bonds, assessed at 7-12 months post-loss, with concurrent and prospective (9 months later) symptoms of grief and depression. Among other things it was found that, independent of initial symptom levels, manifestations of continuing bonds differed in their associations with subsequent grief and depression. That is, continuing bonds through recovering memories was a strong predictor of grief but not depression, whereas continuing bonds through the use of the deceased's possessions was a weak predictor of both grief and depression. In part, these findings contradict earlier prospective findings.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2005

Grief work, disclosure and counseling: do they help the bereaved?

Bereavement is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. How to protect the bereaved against extreme suffering and lasting health impairment remains a central research issue. It has been widely accepted that to adjust, the bereaved have to confront and express intense emotions accompanying their loss. It has further been assumed that others assist in this process, and that intervention programs are effective. To assess validity of these assumptions, this article reviews research on the impact of expressing and sharing emotions across four research domains (social support; emotional disclosure; experimentally induced emotional disclosure; and grief intervention). In none of these areas is there evidence that emotional disclosure facilitates adjustment to loss in normal bereavement. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2005

Interventions to enhance adaptation to bereavement.

This paper reviews quantitative evaluations of the efficacy of intervention programs designed to reduce the pain and suffering associated with bereavement. After identifying the psychological and physical health impacts of bereavement and outlining the prevalence of detrimental outcomes, we conclude that a minority of bereaved persons experience severe and sometimes lasting consequences, whereas the majority manage to overcome their grief across the course of time. We detail criteria for establishing the efficacy of bereavement intervention and examine the impact of intervention according to these stringent criteria. We critically examine previous reviews and summarize their conclusions. Using a narrative review approach, we apply a public health framework to organize intervention programs into primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies. A comprehensive, updated review of empirical studies in these categories leads to the following conclusions: Routine intervention for bereavement has not received support from quantitative evaluations of its effectiveness and is therefore not empirically based. Outreach strategies are not advised, and even provision of intervention for those who believe that they need it and who request it should be carefully evaluated. Intervention soon after bereavement may interfere with "natural" grieving processes. Intervention is more effective for those with more complicated forms of grief. Finally, a research agenda is outlined that includes the use of rigorous design and methodological principles in both intervention programs themselves and in studies evaluating their efficacy; systematic investigation of "risk factors"; and comparison of relative effectiveness of different intervention programs (i.e., what works for whom).

Adaptation, Psychological↗