Traumatic Grief and the Spousal Loss Model

Abstract

Traumatic grief (TG) is an evolving new diagnostic category for the Psychiatric Manual that identifies people experiencing an extreme grief reaction to spousal death. Studies indicate that patients experiencing TG have impairment in all functional spheres—mental, physical, and social. The Spousal Loss Model is a three-stage model framing life transition adjustment following spousal loss. Multiple case studies illustrate how the Spousal Loss Model provides a useful framework for defining interventions that reduce extreme symptomatology experienced by people diagnosed with TG.