Ee. Beem et al., The immunological and psychological effects of bereavement: does grief counseling really make a difference? A pilot study, PSYCHIAT R, 85(1), 1999, pp. 81-93
This study evaluates psychological and immunological functioning after bere
avement and the influence of group counseling. Eighteen widows (bereaved wi
thin 3 months of enrolment) and a reference group of 10 married control sub
jects were asked to fill in self-report scales and to donate a blood sample
(T1). After T1, half of the widows (the experimental group) were randomly
assigned to grief counseling (13 sessions over 4 months), while the other s
ubjects (the control group) received no treatment. Seven months after berea
vement (T2) or, in the case of the experimental group, immediately after th
e intervention, a follow-up was conducted in the widowed subsample using th
e same measures. Blood samples were analyzed to determine the total number
of white blood cells, number of lymphocyte subsets, natural killer cell act
ivity (NKCA) and lymphocyte proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin (P
HA), anti-CD3 and pokeweed mitogen (PWM). At T1, we found significant diffe
rences between widows and non-widows regarding both psychological and immun
ological measures. Widows felt more anxious, depressed, hostile and agoraph
obic. At T1, widows had a lower number of the CD19(+)CD5(+) B cell subpopul
ation. The cell function tests for T and B cells showed higher responses in
widows (lymphocyte proliferation response to PHA, anti-CDS and PWM). No si
gnificant difference in NKCA was found between widows and non-widows. At T2
, there appeared to be no significant difference between widows and non-wid
ows on the psychological measures. With respect to the immunological measur
es, widows and non-widows showed no significant differences for the total n
umber of white blood cells, number of lymphocyte subsets and NKCA. Consiste
nt with our findings at T1, the lymphocyte proliferation response to PHA, a
nti-CD3 and PWM at T2 appeared to be higher in widows than in non-widows. C
omparing the experimental group (widows) and the control group (widows) wit
h respect to psychological measures at T1, widows in the experimental group
felt more insufficient and had more sleep disturbances. With respect to th
e immunological measures, no differences were found between those two group
s. When the same two groups were again compared at T2, no differences were
found in any of the psychological or immunological measures (lymphocyte sub
-populations, proliferation tests and the NKCA). (C) 1999 Elsevier Science
Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.