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ABSTRACT: Three studies using independent samples of bereaved individuals were conducted to examine the association of self-concept clarity (SCC) with symptoms of prolonged grief disorder (PGD), a debilitating syndrome than can develop after bereavement. Study 1 (N = 67) showed that lower SCC was associated with greater PGD severity, independent from self-concept content change. Using a retrospective design, Study 2 (N = 116) showed that a loss can coincide with a decline in SCC, the magnitude of which was associated with acute PGD severity. Study 2 also showed that the maintenance of PGD symptoms over time was associated with a smaller increase in SCC beyond the first month of bereavement and not with this acute SCC decline. Using a prospective-longitudinal design, Study 3 (N = 121) showed that the impact of lower SCC on concurrent and prospective PGD severity was mediated by lower self-esteem, depressive avoidance, and rumination. Moreover, lower initial SCC predicted PGD severity 6 months later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: This study investigated the factor-structure of retrospectively assessed peritraumatic dissociation in the moments surrounding the death of a loved one and concurrent and prospective associations of such peritraumatic dissociation with loss-related emotional distress. Data were available from 168 people, bereaved in the preceding year. They completed the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire with their loss as the index event, together with measures of prolonged grief disorder, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder; 117 completed symptom measures again 1 year later. Confirmatory factor analysis comparing the fit of four competing models showed that the eight-item one-factor model found in the first study using the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire provided the best fit to the data. Peritraumatic dissociation predicted concurrent and prospective symptom levels even when controlling for neuroticism and demographic and loss-related variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]