Traumatic losses permeate daily emotional experiences: roles of daily uplifts and subjective age.

Daily emotional experiences may vary depending on a stressor's intensity or source. The present study aimed to examine the interaction between traumatic loss, daily uplifts, and daily subjective age predicting daily negative affect. Results from a 14-day daily diary study of 440 US adults aged 50-85 showed that daily increases in uplifts were associated with decreases in negative affect, especially for those who reported a traumatic loss when they also experienced increases in subjective age. Based on our study, daily events and perceptions can have a considerable impact on daily functioning and may serve as important mechanisms after a traumatic loss. Although traumatic losses may impact individuals differently, incorporating daily uplifts, based on available resources and capacities, may foster daily emotional well-being.

Does time heal all wounds? An investigation of time, grief, and attitudes toward death.

When experiencing the loss of a loved one, individuals adapt and change how they understand death, how they interpret the meaning of the loss, and how they remember the deceased. In the present study (N = 164), we investigated whether the time since the loss - recent or distant - was associated with individuals' bereavement, attitudes toward death, and their meaning of death. We found that individuals who experienced a recent loss reported more grief and more negative death attitudes compared to individuals who experienced a loss more than 5 years ago. Moreover, the bereavement appeared to completely mediate the time since the loss and the individuals' attitudes about death. The findings suggest that time-dependent adaptations after a loss shifts individuals' death attitudes, grief symptoms, and thoughts about death.