Associations of religious and existential variables with psychosocial factors and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in bereavement.

Bereavement increases in prevalence as people age and is associated with multiple psychological and health risks, including cardiovascular risk. Religious and existential variables may play an important role in the health impacts of bereavement. Theorized pathways linking religious and existential variables with health have suggested these associations are due to intermediary psychosocial variables, but have not been tested in bereavement. This research empirically tested these pathways in a bereaved population. In N = 73 adults within 1 year of bereavement (mean age = 64.36), this study examined associations between (1) religious and existential characteristics (religious and spiritual struggles, intrinsic religiosity, and existential quest) and intermediary psychosocial variables (depression, loneliness, and difficulties in emotion regulation), and between (2) intermediary psychosocial variables and bereavement-relevant health outcomes (self-reported health, change in health since last year, grief severity, and cardiovascular biomarkers). Cardiovascular biomarkers (heart rate, heart rate variability, and blood pressure) were collected before, during, and after a laboratory grief recall emotion elicitation. Anticipated associations between self-reported religious and existential characteristics and intermediary variables, and between intermediary variables and self-reported bereavement-relevant outcomes, were consistently observed. However, associations between intermediary variables and cardiovascular biomarkers were largely unobserved. This study examined the role of religious and existential variables in whole-person health after bereavement and is among the first to include biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. Results suggest that although religious and existential variables are associated with important bereavement-related outcomes, these associations may be "skin-deep," and extensions to cardiovascular functioning should be re-examined.

The Relationship of Prolonged Grief Disorder Symptoms With Hemodynamic Response to Grief Recall Among Bereaved Adults.

OBJECTIVE: Bereavement is among the most impactful psychosocial stressors for cardiovascular health, and hypertensive episodes accompanying bereavement-related distress are one putative mechanism for this effect. The present study examined hemodynamic responses to the Grief Recall (GR), a promising method for studying the effects of acute grief on cardiovascular function, and the relationship of grief severity to blood pressure (BP) response. METHODS: N = 59 participants within 1 year of the loss of a close loved one completed the GR, a semistructured interview protocol for eliciting bereavement-related distress (a "grief pang") and cardiovascular response. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were measured at two time points: a) an attention-control baseline and (2) after a 10-minute GR interview. Baseline versus post-GR SBP and DBP differences (i.e., BP response) were measured. Grief severity was examined as a predictor of SBP and DBP response, as well as BP recovery. RESULTS: SBP and DBP increased significantly after GR (SBP, +21.10 mm Hg; DBP, +8.10 mm Hg). Adjusting for variables relevant to cardiovascular function and bereavement (antihypertensive medication use, days since death, gender, age), grief severity predicted the magnitude of increase after GR in SBP but not DBP. No relationship of grief severity and recovery was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The observed association between hemodynamic response and grief severity suggests a mechanistic contribution from hemodynamic effects of acute grief episodes to the cardiovascular impact of grief. This is the first study to show that increased symptoms of prolonged grief disorder are associated with an elevated SBP response. The GR may have further utility for research examining physiological responses to bereavement-related emotions.

From Grief to Grievance: Combined Axes of Personal and Collective Grief Among Black Americans.

In the current article, we argue that the current conceptualization of grief as "the acute pain that accompanies the loss of a loved one" is too narrow in scope. Specifically, our current conceptualization of grief fails to account for the various ways in which grief is manifested amongst Black Americans. Throughout the article, we explore how the history of the racialization of Black people in America has resulted in a unique experience of loss, grief, and bereavement which previous research has largely failed to elucidate. Additionally, we explore how grief catalyzes political and social action. The article also proposes a novel theoretical conceptualization of personal and collective grief to deepen our conceptualization of grief amongst Black Americans. Finally, we posit that we must also consider how to further research on this collective grief to increase our understanding of it and to account for similar phenomena that may exist in communities who've had similar experiences (e.g., Indigenous peoples in the Americas and Dalits in India).

Recruitment and retention in clinical and experimental bereavement research: Lessons learned from creating a research registry.

A small body of research investigates recruitment and retention of bereaved people in experimental and intervention research. The present study compares the effectiveness of different recruitment strategies implemented by a grief laboratory at a large state university in order to optimize recruitment efforts. The most effective method is letters sent to bereaved community members identified through online newspaper obituaries. Despite a small overall response rate, the large population from which to sample provides continuous accrual every month. Other methods include electronic/print media, community institution referrals, word of mouth and community outreach. Best practices for recruitment and retention are recommended.