"It was never that bad'': Biased recall of grief and long-term adjustment to the death of a spouse

At 6 months following the death of their spouse, 37 participants reported t heir grief-related symptoms and thoughts, and then, approximately 4.5 years later, they attempted to recall how they felt at the time of the 6-month r eport. Although participants were far less distressed at recall than initia lly, they recalled their 6-month grief rather accurately. Participants did however overestimate prior grief-related intrusive ideation. Participant's current level of grief predicted what they recalled slightly better than th e actual initial grief. Conversely, what they recalled predicted current le vels of grief across various measures. Participants whose grief diminished relatively little over time tended to overestimate prior grief more. The re trospective reappraisal that one's past grief was not severe may indicate e ffective coping.