Scott and White Grief Study--phase 2: toward an adaptive model of grief.
The current study was a dual investigation focused both on the pathogenesis of grief responses and on factors associated with personal growth as a bereavement outcome in a heterogeneous sample of 85 mourners.  To examine the pathogenesis of grief, the authors tested the ability of several high-risk factors to predict mourners' subsequent emotional intensity on 2 dependent measures: the Grief Experience Inventory and the Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist.  Three situational variables (traumatic death, younger age of decedent, and perception of preventability) as well as 2 mourner liabilities (history of mental health treatment and greater number of other losses) were associated with higher subjective grief misery scores.  When using personal growth as a positive outcome following bereavement, the authors identified 4 behavioral correlates of adaptive grieving: ability to see some good resulting from the death, having a chance to say goodbye, intrinsic spirituality, and spontaneous positive memories of the decedent.  The advantages of an adaptive model of grief for generating treatment implications are discussed.
Gamino
L A
LA
Scott and White Clinic and Memorial Hospital, Texas A & M University Health Science Center College of Medicine, Temple, USA.
Sewell
K W
KW
Easterling
L W
LW
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001601:Bereavement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support