Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026
09:00
Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm
Published on: October 3, 2020
4.7K
Anxious and depressive avoidance behavior in post-loss psychopathology: a longitudinal study.
Paul A Boelen1, Maarten C Eisma
1a Department of Clinical and Health Psychology , Utrecht University , Post Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht , the Netherlands.
Anxiety, Stress, and Coping
|January 9, 2015
Summary
Anxious and depressive avoidance behaviors are linked to prolonged grief disorder, depression, and PTSD. Anxious avoidance is particularly harmful during the first year after a loss.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Bereavement Studies
Background:
- Avoidance behavior is key in bereavement theories but its role in psychopathology is unclear.
- This study investigates anxious and depressive avoidance in relation to prolonged grief disorder (PGD), depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the concurrent and prospective associations of anxious and depressive avoidance behaviors with PGD, depression, and PTSD symptom levels.
- To understand the differential impact of anxious and depressive avoidance based on time since loss.
Main Methods:
- 291 individuals experiencing loss within three years completed self-report measures.
- Measures assessed anxious/depressive avoidance and emotional distress at baseline and one-year follow-up.
Main Results:
- Both avoidance types were concurrently linked to PGD, depression, and PTSD symptoms.
- Anxious avoidance predicted increased symptoms of PGD, depression, and PTSD in the first year post-loss.
- Depressive avoidance predicted increased PTSD symptoms one year later, regardless of time since loss.
Conclusions:
- Anxious and depressive avoidance are associated with poorer long-term adjustment after loss.
- Anxious avoidance appears most detrimental during the initial year of bereavement.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
3.9K
Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
3.9K
01:26Personality Disorders: Narcissistic and Avoidant
1.2K
Narcissistic and avoidant personality traits represent two contrasting patterns of behavior that significantly influence social interactions and self-perception. While individuals with narcissistic disorder seek admiration and validation, individuals with avoidant personality disorder withdraw due to fear of judgment.
Characteristics of Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Narcissistic individuals exhibit an inflated sense of self-importance and an excessive need for admiration. They are often...
Characteristics of Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Narcissistic individuals exhibit an inflated sense of self-importance and an excessive need for admiration. They are often...
1.2K
01:17Bonanno's Theory of Grieving
1.4K
Grieving is a complex psychological and emotional process that varies significantly among individuals. George Bonanno's research on bereavement identified four distinct patterns of grieving, offering a nuanced understanding of how people cope with significant loss, such as the death of a spouse, over extended periods. These patterns — resilience, recovery, chronic dysfunction, and delayed grief — highlight the diversity in emotional responses and adaptive mechanisms.
Resilience
Resilience
1.4K
01:27Horney's Sociocultural Approach
1.4K
Karen Horney's psychoanalytic theories emphasize the potential for self-realization and the importance of addressing social and cultural, rather than biological, factors in personality development. She challenged traditional Freudian views, particularly Freud's concept of "penis envy," which she argued stemmed from cultural influences rather than inherent biological differences. Horney believed that any sense of inferiority in women was a result of societal conditioning, such as...
1.4K
01:14Frustration and Conflict: Avoidance-Avoidance, Double-Approach Avoidance
883
Avoidance-avoidance conflict refers to a psychological situation where a person must choose between two or more unpleasant alternatives. These conflicts are particularly stressful because neither option is desirable. This dilemma is often expressed in sayings like "caught between a rock and a hard place" or "between the devil and the deep blue sea." For instance, individuals who fear dental procedures may find themselves torn between enduring a painful toothache or facing the...
883
01:28Social Anxiety Disorder
854
Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is characterized by an intense fear of social situations where one might face humiliation, rejection, embarrassment, or negative evaluation. This disorder leads individuals to avoid activities like casual conversations, public speaking, or seemingly simple tasks such as eating, signing documents, or swimming, in public settings. Its impact extends beyond discomfort, often significantly interfering with daily functioning and quality of life.
854