The Measurement of Grief: Bereaved versus Non-Bereaved

Acutely bereaved widows and widowers (N = 150) and a comparison group of non-bereaved married persons (N = 68) whose spouse was hospitalized with life-threatening illness were studied to test hypotheses about the severity, time course, and nature of the psychological distress associated with a loss or threatened loss. Questionnaire items were developed to assess the occurrence of numbness-disbelief and separation anxiety as components of the psychological distress associated with acute grief. The depression scale from the Center for Epidemiological Studies (CES-D 20 items) was also used. Bereaved persons scored higher on indices of separation anxiety and depression than non-bereaved. Also, at a second assessment, the more recently bereaved scored higher than the earlier bereaved. We also observed an interaction between bereavement status and change over time. Findings based upon our index of numbness and disbelief, though possibly biased by the methodology employed, were not inconsistent with the idea that these phenomena are an early manifestation of distress that diminishes over time. The availability of recently available assessment instruments discussed make it feasible to specifically measure the psychological distress of bereavement and to investigate its implications for health.