Are there gender differences in prolonged grief trajectories? A registry-sampled cohort study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Grief Research
• Mental Health

Background:

• Grief development varies over time, with gender potentially influencing these patterns.
• Gender differences in the trajectories of the newly codified ICD-11 prolonged grief disorder (PGD) remain unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine gender-specific variances in grief trajectories among spousal bereaved individuals.
• To identify distinct patterns of prolonged grief disorder symptoms over the first year post-loss.

Main Methods:

• Registry-sampled cohort of 857 spousal bereaved individuals.
• Self-report questionnaires assessing PGD symptoms at 2, 6, and 11 months post-loss.
• Growth Mixture Modeling to identify grief trajectories.

Main Results:

• Four PGD trajectories emerged: resilient (64.4%), moderate-stable (20.4%), recovery (8.4%), and prolonged grief (6.8%).
• Men in the prolonged grief trajectory showed higher initial symptoms and decreasing symptoms over time, while women showed increasing symptoms.
• Low optimism and poor mental health predicted membership in the prolonged grief trajectory.

Conclusions:

• The majority of individuals followed a resilient grief trajectory, irrespective of gender.
• Gender influences symptom development within the prolonged grief trajectory, with men exhibiting an acute, decreasing reaction and women an adjourned, mounting reaction.
• Understanding these gender-specific grief patterns is crucial for targeted interventions in highly distressed individuals.