University of Twente Student Theses
Fluctuations of grief symptoms in the daily life of bereaved people
Terbrack, E. (2022) Fluctuations of grief symptoms in the daily life of bereaved people.
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| Abstract: | The current study was the first one, investigating grief fluctuations in the daily life of bereaved people. As it was originally believed that the grieving process progresses through fixed stages and was not flexible over time, current research has suggested that grief may be highly individual in symptoms, presentation, intensity and duration and is rather flexible over time. The aim of the current study was to examine to what extent grief symptoms fluctuate in the daily life of bereaved people and to investigate whether participants with higher severity of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) show higher levels of grief fluctuations. Methods: Experience Sampling Method (ESM) was used and data was obtained from 47 German and Dutch bereaved participants. PGD severity was assessed in two telephone interviews before and after the ESM phase by applying the Traumatic Grief Inventory (TGI-CA). During the ESM phase, participants were asked for two weeks, five times a day to fill in items on PGD on their smartphones. Fluctuations in grief symptoms were calculated as the root mean square of successive difference (RMSSD). Correlational analyses were conducted, checking whether participants with severe PGD also show higher levels of grief fluctuations. Results: There were fluctuations in all momentary PGD items. Mean RMSSD values varied from .19 through .65. Participants with higher levels of interview based PGD severity had higher fluctuations in momentary PGD items than participants with lower interview based PGD severity. Discussion: The finding that there were fluctuations in all momentary PGD items support the suggestion that grieving symptoms can vary in intensity, duration, and presentation and are rather flexible over time. Participants with higher levels of interview based PGD severity may be more sensitive to internal and external stressors and have suboptimal regulation in experiencing grief symptoms. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/92623 |
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