The relationships among grief experience, problem-solving appraisal, and depression: An exploratory study

Research has consistently shown a relationship between problem-solving appr aisal and depressive symptoms. This study expands that research by includin g grief symptomatology as a variable. A college student sample completed th e Problem-Solving Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Revised Grief Experience Inventory. Consistent with hypotheses, those individuals who had experienced the death of a close loved one within the previous 5 ye ars reported significantly higher levels of grief and depression than those who had not experienced such a loss. However, the group that had experienc ed the death of a close loved one did not report significantly worse proble m-solving scores than the group that did not. This study also examined the relationships among problem-solving appraisal, depressive symptoms, and gri ef symptoms within the subsample that had experienced the loss of a close l oved one within the previous 5 years. Consistent with predictions, grief sy mptoms were associated with depressive symptoms and self-appraised ineffect ive problem solving. The results of this study extend the research on grief and mourning. Also, the, results expand our understanding of the grief pro cess by providing preliminary evidence for the role of a problem solving in this process.