(PS2-C71) Increases in the Number of Times Bereaved Negates the Effect of Age as a Protective Factor for Subsequent Bereavement

Increases in the number of times bereaved has been found to be a risk factor for poor adjustment for future losses, but the evidence for the association has been conflicting. Conversely, older age at the time of bereavement is a well-established protective factor against grief, despite older individuals naturally experiencing more loss. Most of the existing research centered around multiple deaths has been conducted on men with AIDS or disaster survivors; this study, however, has been conducted with a representative U.S. sample.

In a cross-sectional online survey study involving N = 275 bereaved adults (59.4% female, Mage = 40.8), we hypothesized that the experience of previous losses and age would predict the severity of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) symptoms in individuals in response to a current loss. We also explored if age would interact with the number of previous losses to predict outcomes. A model in which PGD was predicted by age and the total number of previous deaths was significant (R2 = 0.06, F(2, 270) = 8.84, p < .001). Increased age at the time of loss was associated with decreases in PGD symptoms (b = - 0.27, p < .01), but the total number of previous losses was not (b = - 0.06, p > .05).

In a second step, age was found to interact with the number of previous losses to predict PGD symptom severity (R2 = 0.08, F(3, 269) = 7.29, b = 0.03, p < .05). For those with a high number of previous losses, increases in age did not affect symptom severity (b = - 0.06, p = 0.6). However, for those who had a low number of previous losses, increases in age were associated with decreases in PGD symptom severity (b = - 0.49, p < .001).

A second model in which age and the number of previous losses predicted MDD was also significant (R2 = 0.09, F(2, 272) = 12.79, p < .001). Adding the interaction of age and the number of previous losses was found to be marginally significant (b = 0.01, p = .063). Results mirrored those found for PGD, with age affecting the results for individuals who experienced a low number of deaths, but not those who suffered a high number of losses (b = - 0.28, p < .001, and b = 0.07, p = .27, respectively). These results suggest that while age has long been associated with increases in post-bereavement adjustment, an elevated number of losses negates that effect. Such findings are relevant for elderly populations, in that assessing the number of previous losses may inform treatment.