Complicated Grief Reactions in Women Who Were Sexually Abused in Childhood

This article explores how familial sexual abuse can lay the foundation for complicated bereavement in adult life when a diagnosis of cancer is involved. The authors illustrate the unique vulnerabilities and needs of this population by discussing seven women who exhibited unusually intense grief and anticipatory grief reactions. In addition, they briefly review the literature pertaining to the long-term psychosocial impact of sexual abuse in childhood and to normal and complicatcd grief. They conclude with a discussion of the intrapsychic and interpersonal processes that maintain complicated patterns of grief.