Object relations as a predictor of adjustment in conjugal bereavement

The impact of object relations on adjustment in conjugal bereavement was examined. At approximately 6 months postbereavement, 46 midlife bereaved participants engaged in a narrative interview in which they were asked to discuss their past relationship with their deceased spouse. The Westen et al. ob...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Development and psychopathology 2001-06, Vol.13 (2), p.399-412
Main Authors: FIELD, NIGEL P., STURGEON, SHEILA E., PURYEAR, RICHARD, HIBBARD, STEVEN, HOROWITZ, MARDI J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Adjustment
Attachment
Bereavement
Caregivers
Female
Grief
Humans
Male
Marriage - psychology
Middle Aged
Object Attachment
Personality
Psychoanalysis
Psychopathology
Social Adjustment
Time Factors
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Summary:The impact of object relations on adjustment in conjugal bereavement was examined. At approximately 6 months postbereavement, 46 midlife bereaved participants engaged in a narrative interview in which they were asked to discuss their past relationship with their deceased spouse. The Westen et al. object relations scoring system was applied to these narratives. Participants also completed depression and grief-specific symptom measures at 6 months and again at 14 and 25 months postbereavement. Object relations correlated differently with grief-specific symptoms and depression; it was more strongly negatively associated with 6 month postloss grief-specific symptoms while more strongly negatively correlated with depression at 25 month postloss. In a growth curve analysis, more mature object relations was also predictive of a faster rate of decrease in depression over time. The results were discussed in terms of current theoretical perspectives on what is required in successful adaptation to conjugal bereavement.
ISSN:0954-5794
1469-2198
DOI:10.1017/S0954579401002115