THE BEREAVEMENT RESPONSE - A CLUSTER-ANALYSIS

Background. Literature and clinical experience suggest that some peopl e experience atypical, complicated or pathological bereavement reactio ns in response to a major loss. Method. Three groups of community-base d bereaved subjects-spouses (n=44), adult children (n=40), and parents (n=36)-were followed up four times in the 13 months after a loss. A 1 7-item scale of core bereavement times was developed and used to inves tigate the intensity of the bereavement response over time. R Results. Cluster analysis revealed a pattern of bereavement-related symptoms a pproximating a syndrome of chronic grief in 11 (9.2%) of the 120 subje cts. None of the respondents displayed a pattern consistent with delay ed or absent grief. Conclusions. In a non-clinical community sample of bereaved people, delayed or absent grief is infrequently seen, unlike chronic grief, which is demonstrated in a minority.