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Quality of life impairments associated with diagnostic criteria for traumatic grief

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2000

G. K. SILVERMAN ,
S. C. JACOBS ,
S. V. KASL ,
M. K. SHEAR ,
P. K. MACIEJEWSKI ,
F. S. NOAGHIUL  and
H. G. PRIGERSON
G. K. SILVERMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, the Program on Aging and the Donaghue Women's Health Investigator Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
S. C. JACOBS
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, the Program on Aging and the Donaghue Women's Health Investigator Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
S. V. KASL
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, the Program on Aging and the Donaghue Women's Health Investigator Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
M. K. SHEAR
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, the Program on Aging and the Donaghue Women's Health Investigator Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
P. K. MACIEJEWSKI
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, the Program on Aging and the Donaghue Women's Health Investigator Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
F. S. NOAGHIUL
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, the Program on Aging and the Donaghue Women's Health Investigator Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
H. G. PRIGERSON
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, the Program on Aging and the Donaghue Women's Health Investigator Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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Abstract

Background. This study examined the association between a diagnosis of traumatic grief and quality of life outcomes.

Method. Sixty-seven widowed persons were interviewed at a median of 4 months after their loss. The multiple regression procedure was used to estimate the effects of a traumatic grief diagnosis on eight quality of life domains, controlling for age, sex, time from loss and diagnoses of major depressive episode and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Results. A positive traumatic grief diagnosis was significantly associated with lower social functioning scores, worse mental health scores, and lower energy levels than a negative traumatic grief diagnosis. In each of these domains, traumatic grief was found to be a better predictor of lower scores than either major depressive episode or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Conclusions. The results suggest that a traumatic grief diagnosis is significantly associated with quality of life impairments. These findings provide evidence supporting the criterion validity of the proposed consensus criteria and the newly developed diagnostic interview for traumatic grief – the Traumatic Grief Evaluation of Response to Loss (TRGR2L).

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 30 , Issue 4 , July 2000 , pp. 857 - 862
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press

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