DYSFLUENCY AND TOPIC ORIENTATION IN BEREAVED INDIVIDUALS - BRIDGING INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP STUDIES

Discourse of bereaved individuals talking about the decreased and othe r topics was examined using computer-based text analyses and judged ra tings of verbal behavior for patterns indicating dysfluency and orient ation toward topics. Using factor analysis, the discourse structure of low-distress bereaved individuals was compared with that of high-dist ress bereaved individuals and with that of a single bereaved individua l both early and late in psychotherapy. Meaningful differences were ob served for the distress groups and for the single individual early and late in therapy, and these findings indicate possible quantitative an d qualitative means for detecting maladaptive responses to stressors.