title: The prevalence, comorbidity and risks of prolonged grief disorder among bereaved Chinese adults.
abstract: Few epidemiological studies have investigated prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in the general population of Asian countries, including China. The aim of this study was to explore the rates and risks of PGD, and the association between PGD, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety in bereaved Chinese adults. The PG-13, PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were administered to 445 subjects. Prevalence within the general population of China was 1.8% (i.e., 8/445). Among the eight subjects who met the PGD diagnosis, 75%, 87.5% and 75% scored above the cut-off point on the PCL-C, SDS and SAS, respectively, although a portion remained free from comorbidity. ANOVA, correlation analysis and stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrated that kinship to deceased, age of the deceased, religion belief and cause of death were predictive of prolonged grief. A small proportion of bereaved persons may exhibit PGD. There is a substantial but far from complete overlap between PGD and the other three diagnoses. Bereaved parents and the widowed have high risk of PGD. These findings highlight the need for prevention, diagnosis and treatment for PGD patients.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, PR China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, PR China.
authors.forename: Suqin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, PR China.
authors.forename: Qiuyuan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, PR China; Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, PR China. Electronic address: wjphh@bnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001601:Bereavement; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012306:Risk; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bereavement; China; PTSD; Prevalence; Prolonged Grief Questionnaire-13 (PG-13); Prolonged grief disorder