Coping strategies as a causal mediator of the effect of loss-related memory characteristics and negative loss-related appraisals on symptoms of PGD, PTSD and depression.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Psychological models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and prolonged grief disorder (PGD) make predictions about the role of unhelpful coping strategies in maintaining difficulties by blocking self-correction of negative appraisals and memory integration following stressful life events like bereavement. However, few studies have tested these predictions directly.

Method

We used counterfactually based causal mediation to assess whether unhelpful coping strategies mediated the relationship between (1) loss-related memory characteristics and/or (2) negative grief-related appraisals and symptoms of PGD, PTSD and depression using a three-wave longitudinal sample (N = 275). Appraisals and memory characteristics were measured at time point 1, unhelpful copin

SUBMITTER: Smith KV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10009377 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature