The bereavement response: A cluster analysis

Abstract

Background. Literature and clinical experience suggest that some people experience atypical, complicated or pathological bereavement reactions in response to a major loss. Method. Three 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-hem scale of core bereavement times was developed and used to investigate the intensity of the bereavement response over time. Results. Cluster 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. Conclusions. In a non-clinical community sample of bereaved people, delayed or absent grief is infrequently seen, unlike chronic grief, which is demonstrated in a minority.