(PS11-B31) Five Types of Secondary Stressors Following Bereavement as Predictors of Maladaptive Grief Responses

While grief is already painful to endure on its own, the co-occurrence of stressful life events, or secondary stressors (SS), can create additional burden on grievers. SS can cause increases in worry, a known predictor of maladaptive grief responses. There are 5 known types of SS: financial problems (FP), trouble with social relations (SR), incidental tasks during (IT) bereavement, deterioration of family relationships (FR), and difficulties in daily life (DL). When multiple SS co-occur with the grief, already-vulnerable populations are left at more risk. Existing research has theorized that SS are modifiable, and thus, working to resolve SS may be a viable avenue in helping bereaved individuals cope with grief. To our knowledge, only one Japanese study has examined the role of secondary stressors on grief so it may be beneficial to conduct further research on an American sample. 

The aim of this study is to determine if secondary stressors are significant predictors of maladaptive grief responses. Study participants included 523 adults who lost a loved one within 1 to 12 months of completing the survey. Results showed that 55% of participants were female and the average age was 39 years old (SD=11.79). Participants completed questionnaires on demographics, SS, and prolonged grief symptoms. 

We conducted a two-step hierarchical linear regression model for all five types of SS. The first step of the models included known predictors of grief including age, loss of parent (compared to loss of spouse), and level of dependence on the deceased. The second step of the models included the SS. Results show that step one of the models were significant (R2 = .40, F (3,518) = 116.16, p </span>< .001). Step two of the model for SR (R2 = .46, F (4,517) = 111.96, p </span>< .001), FR (R2 = .46, F (4,517) = 110.66, p </span>< .001), FP (R2 = .44, F (4,517) = 105.01, p </span>< .001), DL (R2 = .52, F (4,517) = 144.62, p </span>< .001), and IT (R2 = .44, F (4,517) = 101.78, p </span>< .001) was significant and predicted grief symptoms over and above known predictors of grief.

Given that all 5 SS were significant, our results suggest that these variables are potential treatment targets that should be incorporated into existing grief treatments. More research is needed to adequately understand the roles that all five secondary stressors play in grief because effectively addressing these predictors of grief that can impede grief resolution can be one of the first steps in promoting healing. Full results, limitations, and future directions will be discussed.