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Unfinished Business in Bereavement
Kara L Klingspon1, Jason M Holland, Robert A Neimeyer
1a Department of Psychology , University of Nevada , Las Vegas , Nevada , USA.
Death Studies
|June 10, 2015
Summary
Unfinished business with the deceased can worsen grief. Distress from unresolved issues, not the type of issue, strongly predicts poorer bereavement outcomes, suggesting targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Bereavement Studies
- Grief Research
Background:
- Unfinished business (unresolved relationship issues with the deceased) is theorized as a significant risk factor for prolonged and severe grief.
- Empirical research investigating the prevalence and impact of unfinished business on grief reactions remains limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically examine the presence and severity of unfinished business in bereaved individuals.
- To identify common themes within unfinished business narratives.
- To assess the relationship between unfinished business and bereavement outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A qualitative study analyzing open-ended narratives from 224 bereaved individuals.
- Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted.
- Qualitative responses were categorized to explore themes of unfinished business.
Main Results:
- Both the presence of unfinished business and the distress it caused were initially associated with poorer bereavement outcomes.
- After controlling for confounding factors, distress related to unresolved issues with the deceased emerged as a significant predictor of adverse bereavement outcomes.
- The specific themes of unfinished business did not correlate significantly with distress levels or bereavement outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Distress stemming from unresolved relational issues with the deceased is a key factor in adverse bereavement outcomes.
- These findings support the development of bereavement interventions focused on alleviating distress related to unfinished business.
- Further research is warranted to explore the nuances of unfinished business in grief processes.
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