Self-generated Unconscious Processing of Loss Linked to Less Severe Grieving.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The intense loss processing that characterizes grieving may help people to adapt to the loss. However, empirical studies show that more conscious loss-related thinking and greater reactivity to reminders of the deceased correspond to poorer adaptation. These findings raise the possibility that loss processing that is unconscious rather than conscious and is self-generated rather than reactive may facilitate adaptation. Here, we used machine learning to detect a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signature of self-generated unconscious loss processing that we hypothesized to correlate with lower grief severity.

Methods

A total of 29 subjects bereaved within the past 14 months participated. Participants performed a modified Stroop fMRI task using deceased-

SUBMITTER: Schneck N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6389441 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature