Meaning-Centred Coping Predicted Lower Depressive Symptoms among Caregivers with Complicated Grief

Complicated grief is characterised by persistent low mood, intense distress and cognitive impairment. This study aimed to explore coping strategies (i.e. emotion-, problem- and meaning-centred) used by bereaved individuals facing complicated grief and how these strategies may predict psychological and cognitive outcomes.

In a cross-sectional study, 20 bereaved individuals (5 males, 15 females) that aged 27 years old-65 years old (mean = 42.25, standard deviation [SD] = 9.30) were recruited following the loss of a loved one due to physical illness. Participants were screened for complicated grief and subsequently completed self-report assessments of coping strategies and depressive symptoms using Brief Grief Questionnaire (BGQ), Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) Questionnaire, Meaning-Centered Coping Scale (MCCS) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Items (PHQ-9). Following that, participants underwent a neurocognitive assessment of working memory using the 2-Back task.

Caregivers with complicated grief suffered from moderate severity of depressive symptoms (mean = 17.45, SD = 4.43) as they were coping with the losses. Furthermore, the findings showed that MCC significantly predicted lower levels of depressive symptoms (b = -0.50, t (16) = -2.25, P = 0.04). However, coping strategies did not significantly predict working memory performance.

These findings highlight the potential benefits of MCC in alleviating depressive symptoms in bereaved individuals and underscore its contribution to the development of grief interventions. Grief therapists can emphasise this coping strategy to promote healing and resilience in patients in the grief work.