Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Julie Hicks Patrick

Committee Co-Chair

Christine Bittenour

Committee Member

Amy Gentzler

Committee Member

Elisa Krackow

Committee Member

Constance Toffle

Abstract

Despite the relatively common occurrence of bereavement, or experiencing the death of a loved one, there is considerable variability in individuals' responses to that experience. In the present study, individuals' responses to bereavement were investigated using the Stress and Coping Model (Lazarus, 1966; Lazarus & Cohen, 1977; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) as a framework. Data from 436 individuals who were bereaved for 24 or fewer months prior to participation in the study were used to investigate associations between age, gender, emotion reactivity, coping, history of depression, grief, and adjustment (in terms of both positive and negative well-being) using a structural equation model (chi2 (50) = 165.143, p < .001, chi2/df = 3.30, CFI = .939, GFI = .944, RMSEA = .075). The model revealed that older participants, women, and those who reported using more avoidant/involuntary coping strategies reported more grief; that those who reported using more avoidant/involuntary coping, those who reported experiencing more grief, and those who reported having a history of depression reported more negative well-being; and that women, those who reported being less emotionally reactive, those who reported using fewer active engagement coping strategies, those who reported using more avoidant/involuntary coping, those who reported experiencing more grief, and those who reported having a history of depression reported lower positive well-being. Results are discussed in terms utility in identifying who may need more assistance after the death of a loved one and differences between the current sample and samples used in other bereavement research.

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