Circumstances of Death and Complicated Grief: Indirect Associations Through Meaning Made of Loss

Losses by violent means and the loss of primary attachment figures may increase the likelihood of developing a chronic and severe grief response (referred to as complicated grief, or CG). Path analysis was used to examine the relationships between these risk factors and CG symptoms. College student participants filled out online questionnaires relating to their bereavement. Analyses provided support for statistical models whereby meaning made of the loss fully mediated the association between cause of death and CG symptoms and partially mediated the association between relationship to the deceased and CG symptoms. Although based on cross-sectional data, these findings provide additional support for meaning-oriented understandings of adaptation to loss.