The Bereavement Response: A Cluster Analysis

Abstract

BackgroundLiterature and clinical experience suggest that some people experience atypical, complicated or pathological bereavement reactions in response to a major loss.MethodThree groups of community-based bereaved subjects – spouses (n=44), adult children (n=40), and parents (n=36) – were followed up four times in the 13 months after a loss. A 17-item scale of core bereavement times was developed and used to investigate the intensity of the bereavement response over time.ResultsCluster analysis revealed a pattern of bereavement-related symptoms approximating a syndrome of chronic grief in 11 (9.2%) of the 120 subjects. None of the respondents displayed a pattern consistent with delayed or absent grief.ConclusionsIn a non-clinical community sample of bereaved people, delayed or absent grief is infrequently seen, unlike chronic grief, which is demonstrated in a minority.