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Reciprocal Temporal Associations Between Grief Rumination and Daily Affect in Bereavement
Jiaqi Liu1,2, Shiren Zhou1, Suqin Tang1,3,4,5
1School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
|August 10, 2026
Summary
Grief rumination and negative affect (NA) are dynamically linked in bereaved individuals. Interventions targeting both grief rumination and NA may improve mental health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Mental Health
Background:
- Rumination and daily affect are crucial in transdiagnostic mental disorders.
- The dynamic interplay between grief rumination and affect in bereavement remains understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reciprocal temporal associations between grief rumination and daily negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) in bereaved individuals.
- To explore how different types of rumination (brooding, reflection) relate to daily affect.
Main Methods:
- Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) was used with 61 bereaved individuals over 14 days.
- Four daily EMA surveys captured real-time data on grief rumination and affect.
- Residual Dynamic Structural Equation Modelling (RDSEM) analyzed the temporal associations.
Main Results:
- Significant reciprocal temporal associations were found between overall grief rumination and NA.
- Higher NA predicted subsequent brooding, while higher reflection predicted subsequent NA.
- Negative affect and grief rumination (brooding, reflection) showed bidirectional lagged associations, while grief rumination and PA had significant negative contemporaneous associations.
Conclusions:
- Grief rumination and negative affect dynamically influence each other in bereaved individuals.
- Interventions for bereavement may be more effective if they address both rumination and negative affect.