title: The heterogeneity of long-term grief reactions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Individuals experience the loss of a spouse in varied ways. There is growing recognition of major depressive disorder and complicated grief as distinct post-bereavement disorders. However, most studies focusing on these different courses of functioning have not examined pre-loss functioning.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from a prospective population based study to examine depression and grief among conjugally bereaved older adults. We compared latent trajectories of grief and depression symptoms based on data from pre-loss and 6, 18, and 48 months post-loss, and examined a number of pre- and post-loss predictor variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The chronic grief and chronic depression trajectories did not differ in grief symptoms at any post-loss time point. However, a number of pre- and post-loss variables uniquely differentiated these two distinct trajectories.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measures used in the current study were based on self-report and compared only two trajectories. Additionally, the sample was restricted to older adults (M age=72) and thus our findings may not generalize to younger populations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These two distinct trajectories--chronic grief and chronic depression--may appear similar when examining grief symptoms alone, though it is apparent that they have different long-term courses of functioning. It is important to understand pre-loss functioning as well as variables associated with each group in order to appropriately target treatment.
authors.affiliation: Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: jl3533@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Jenny H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lotterman
authors.affiliation: Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Bonanno
authors.affiliation: New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Galatzer-Levy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001601:Bereavement; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D057566:Self Report; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Bereavement; Complicated grief; Depression; Prospective; Resilience