Bereavement, Post-traumatic Growth, and the Role of Cognitive Processes: Study of Bereaved Parents and Spouses in Baluchistan, Pakistan

Abstract

Present study investigated the relationship between bereavement and post-traumatic growth and mediating role of cognitive processes. Sample of 260 bereaved parents and spouses was drawn from the province of Baluchistan, Pakistan. Urdu versions of Core Bereavement Items scale (Burnett, Middleton, Raphael, & Martinek, 1997), Integration of Stressful Life Events Scale (Holland, Currier, Coleman, & Neimeyer, 2010), and Post-traumatic Growth Inventory-SF (Cann et al., 2010) were completed by the bereaved parents and spouses individually. Pearson correlation was checked for direction and strength of relationship between the study variables. Results indicated high alpha reliability and validity for the Urdu version scales. The findings showed an inverse relationship between bereavement and post-traumatic growth. Results also revealed that cognitive processes significantly mediate between bereavement and post-traumatic growth relationship. Results showed significant group differences in bereavement experience intensity and post-traumatic experience based on gender of the bereaved and the gender of the deceased. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future researches are also presented in the discussion.