Grieving Those We've Lost: An Examination of Family Communication Patterns and Grief Reactions

This study examines the effect of family communication patterns (FCPs) on grief reactions following a death in the family. Based on family relational schemata theory, FCP has been shown to predict a variety of cognitive and behavioral outcomes, but research has not explored their effect on the bereavement process. A survey of 203 participants revealed that increased perceptions of conversation orientation prior to a death in the immediate family led to increased feelings of personal growth and decreased feelings of detachment.