The pain of grief: Exploring the concept of psychological pain and its relation to complicated grief, depression, and risk for suicide in bereaved adults.
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ABSTRACT: Objective
Emotional or psychological pain is a core symptom of complicated grief (CG), yet its correlates are largely unexamined among bereaved individuals.Method
Bereaved adults (N = 135) completed self-reports regarding psychological pain, CG, depression, and suicidality. We assessed correlations among these variables and tested whether psychological pain was elevated among individuals with CG and individuals with current or past suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Using logistic regression, we also assessed psychological pain, depression, and CG symptom severity as predictors of suicide risk.Results
Psychological pain was strongly associated with both CG and depression severity and was elevated among subjects reporting current or past suicidality. CG and depression were not statistically significant predictors of suicidal ideation after accounting for the effects of psychological pain.Conclusions
Psychological pain is strongly associated with bereavement-related psychopathology and warrants further investigation in studies examining the nature and treatment of CG.
SUBMITTER: Frumkin MR
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7725983 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
The pain of grief: Exploring the concept of psychological pain and its relation to complicated grief, depression, and risk for suicide in bereaved adults.
Frumkin Madelyn R MR Robinaugh Donald J DJ LeBlanc Nicole J NJ Ahmad Zeba Z Bui Eric E Nock Matthew K MK Simon Naomi M NM McNally Richard J RJ
Journal of clinical psychology 20200714 1
<h4>Objective</h4>Emotional or psychological pain is a core symptom of complicated grief (CG), yet its correlates are largely unexamined among bereaved individuals.<h4>Method</h4>Bereaved adults (N = 135) completed self-reports regarding psychological pain, CG, depression, and suicidality. We assessed correlations among these variables and tested whether psychological pain was elevated among individuals with CG and individuals with current or past suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Using logistic ...[more]
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