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Characteristic depressive symptoms of bereaved elders
Journal of Gerontology
|March 1, 1986
Summary
Recently bereaved elders experienced more dysphoria and somatic symptoms, typical of depression, compared to controls. However, self-deprecatory thoughts were not more common in the bereaved group.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Bereavement is a common experience in older adults.
- Understanding grief reactions is crucial for mental health support.
- Distinguishing normative grief from clinical depression is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare depression symptom profiles in recently bereaved elders versus non-bereaved controls.
- To investigate if bereavement increases the risk of depressive cognitions or affective/somatic symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Compared self-reported depression symptoms in 196 recently bereaved elders (approx. 2 months post-loss) with 145 control participants.
- Controlled for age, sex, marital status, education, and occupation.
Main Results:
- Bereaved elders reported significantly more dysphoria, dissatisfaction, and somatic disturbances associated with depression.
- No significant difference in self-deprecatory cognitions was found between bereaved and control groups.
- Marital duration influenced the degree of dysphoric features observed.
Conclusions:
- Heightened dysphoria and somatic symptoms are common in early bereavement and may resemble depression.
- Bereavement does not necessarily increase negative self-beliefs.
- Grief reactions are complex and influenced by factors like marital history.