Looking beyond the mean in grief trajectories: A prospective, population-based cohort study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Public Health

Background:

• Most individuals adapt to loss, but some face prolonged grief impacting daily life.
• No prior research has explored grief symptom development over time.
• This study investigates grief trajectories in partners and non-partners of terminally ill patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine grief symptom trajectories from before death to three years post-loss.
• To identify distinct patterns of grief development in bereaved partners and non-partners.
• To explore factors associated with different grief trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Prospective population-based cohort study of 1138 partners and 597 non-partners.
• Grief symptoms measured using the Prolonged Grief-13 scale pre-loss, 6 months, and 3 years post-loss.
• Semi-parametric group-based trajectory models and multinomial logistic regression analyses were employed.

Main Results:

• Five grief trajectories identified for partners and four for non-partners.
• Majority experienced low/decreasing grief (34% partners, 45% non-partners).
• Minor groups showed high/late grief (up to 20% partners, 16% non-partners).
• Low education was linked to adverse grief trajectories (OR=0.19).

Conclusions:

• This is the first study to systematically describe grief trajectories.
• Most bereaved individuals follow low or decreasing grief patterns.
• Adverse grief trajectories exist, with low education as a vulnerability factor.
• Information on grief development patterns, including adverse trajectories, can aid bereaved individuals.