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Grief-Related Psychiatric Conditions Common Among Bereaved Adults
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and prolonged grief disorder (PGD) appear highly prevalent and comorbid among bereaved US adults, particularly those who experienced a traumatic loss of a psychologically close other. Researchers reported their findings in JAMA Network Open.
“Moreover, the proportion of individuals with a positive screening result for multiple conditions was nearly twice as high in the traumatic loss group compared with the natural and no-loss groups. This finding is especially interesting given that more than one-quarter of the deaths (406 [26.6%]) were among nonnuclear family members,” wrote corresponding author Alyssa A. Rheingold, PhD, of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina, and study coauthors.
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The survey study assessed probable grief-related psychiatric conditions in a US sample of 2034 adults, among whom 1529 were bereaved. Researchers used conservative cutoff scores for validated measures that included the revised Prolonged Grief Disorder scale for PGD, the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 for PTSD, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for MDD.
Presumed prevalence rates among bereaved adults were 33.9% for PTSD, 30.2% for MDD, and 20.4% for PDG, according to the study. Nearly 29% of participants met criteria for at least 2 co-occurring grief-related disorders. Co-occurring conditions were more likely among bereaved adults with a traumatic loss, such as homicide, motor vehicle crash, drug-related overdose, or suicide.
Age and education were associated with the risk of psychiatric conditions, researchers reported. Less time since the death, the loss of a psychologically close other, and a traumatic loss were linked with a greater risk of PGD, PTSD, and MDD alone or co-occurring.
“Given the substantial levels of comorbidities observed,” researchers wrote, “these findings underscore the need for integrated psychological care that leverages transdiagnostic mechanisms of evidence-based practice.”
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