When grief alters social self: Assessing social disconnection in Chinese bereaved individuals

Social disconnection is characterized by a tendency among bereaved individuals to assign negative meaning to others' behaviors, perceive themselves as changed in social interactions, and find comfort in withdrawal. It constitutes an important psychosocial pathway in bereavement adaptation. This study validated the Chinese version of Oxford Grief-Social Disconnection Scale (C-OG-SD) and examined its longitudinal predictive validity. A total of 428 bereaved adults (56.54% women) completed measures of grief, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms at baseline and three months later. Analyses included item analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance, reliability, criterion validity, and regression models. C-OG-SD showed a stable three-factor structure, good invariance, and high reliability and validity. Higher social disconnection correlated with more severe grief, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Younger individuals reported more disconnection. Baseline social disconnection predicted follow-up grief, with Altered Social Self as the strongest predictor. C-OG-SD is a reliable tool, and targeting alterations in social self may enhance intervention outcomes.