Traumatische rouw bij nabestaanden na geweldsmisdrijven: diagnostiek en behandeling

Volgens het Nederlandse Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (2022) is 5,4% van alle overlijdens in Nederland in 2020 (9030 van 168.678) het uiteindelijke gevolg van uitwendige (“niet-natuurlijke”) doodsoorzaken. Het gaat hierbij om ongevallen (71,2%, 6433), zelfdoding (20,2%, 1823) moord en doodslag (1,2%, 107), overig geweld (7,1%, 639) en gebeurtenissen opzet onbekend (0,3%, 28). Bij nabestaanden is het risico op traumatische rouw na een dergelijk ’traumatisch’ verlies sterk verhoogd vergeleken met een verlies door ziekte van een dierbare. Herkenning en behandeling van traumatische rouw, die veelal gepaard gaat met intens lijden en beperkingen in functioneren, is van groot belang; behandeling kan leiden tot aanzienlijke klachtenreductie, ook langere tijd na het verlies

Traumatische rouw bij nabestaanden na geweldsmisdrijven: diagnostiek en behandeling

Volgens het Nederlandse Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (2022) is 5,4% van alle overlijdens in Nederland in 2020 (9030 van 168.678) het uiteindelijke gevolg van uitwendige (“niet-natuurlijke”) doodsoorzaken. Het gaat hierbij om ongevallen (71,2%, 6433), zelfdoding (20,2%, 1823) moord en doodslag (1,2%, 107), overig geweld (7,1%, 639) en gebeurtenissen opzet onbekend (0,3%, 28). Bij nabestaanden is het risico op traumatische rouw na een dergelijk ’traumatisch’ verlies sterk verhoogd vergeleken met een verlies door ziekte van een dierbare. Herkenning en behandeling van traumatische rouw, die veelal gepaard gaat met intens lijden en beperkingen in functioneren, is van groot belang; behandeling kan leiden tot aanzienlijke klachtenreductie, ook langere tijd na het verlies

Acute grief after deaths due to COVID-19, natural causes and unnatural causes:An empirical comparison

Background: There are now over 800,000 registered deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Researchers have suggested that COVID-19 death characteristics (e.g., intensive care admission, unexpected death) and circumstances (e.g., secondary stressors, social isolation) will precipitate a worldwide increase of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) and persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD). Yet, no study has investigated this. Since acute grief is a strong predictor of future pathological grief, we compared grief levels among people recently bereaved due to COVID-19, natural, and unnatural causes. Methods: People bereaved through COVID-19 (n = 49), natural causes (n = 1182), and unnatural causes (n = 210), completed self-report measures of demographic and loss-related characteristics and PGD and PCBD symptoms. Results: COVID-19 bereavement yielded higher symptom levels of PGD (d = 0.42) and PCBD (d = 0.35) than natural bereavement (but not unnatural bereavement). Effects held when limiting analyses to recent losses and those who participated during the pandemic. Expectedness of the death explained this effect. Limitations: Limitations include using a convenience sample and self-report measures. Conclusions: Higher grief levels occur among people bereaved due to COVID-19 compared to people bereaved due to natural loss. We predict that pandemic-related increases in pathological grief will become a worldwide public health concern

The resilience of Jewish communities living in the diaspora:A scoping review

Introduction: Throughout history, Jewish communities have been exposed to collectively experienced traumatic events. Little is known about the role that the community plays in the impact of these traumatic events on Jewish diaspora people. This scoping review aims to map the concepts of the resilience of Jewish communities in the diaspora and to identify factors that influence this resilience.Methods: We followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. Database searches yielded 2,564 articles. Sixteen met all inclusion criteria. The analysis was guided by eight review questions.Results: Community resilience of the Jewish diaspora was often described in terms of coping with disaster and struggling with acculturation. A clear definition of community resilience of the Jewish diaspora was lacking. Social and religious factors, strong organizations, education, and communication increased community resilience. Barriers to the resilience of Jewish communities in the diaspora included the interaction with the hosting country and other communities, characteristics of the community itself, and psychological and cultural issues.Discussion: Key gaps in the literature included the absence of quantitative measures of community resilience and the lack of descriptions of how community resilience affects individuals’ health-related quality of life. Future studies on the interaction between community resilience and health-related individual resilience are warranted

The resilience of Jewish communities living in the diaspora:A scoping review

Introduction: Throughout history, Jewish communities have been exposed to collectively experienced traumatic events. Little is known about the role that the community plays in the impact of these traumatic events on Jewish diaspora people. This scoping review aims to map the concepts of the resilience of Jewish communities in the diaspora and to identify factors that influence this resilience.Methods: We followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. Database searches yielded 2,564 articles. Sixteen met all inclusion criteria. The analysis was guided by eight review questions.Results: Community resilience of the Jewish diaspora was often described in terms of coping with disaster and struggling with acculturation. A clear definition of community resilience of the Jewish diaspora was lacking. Social and religious factors, strong organizations, education, and communication increased community resilience. Barriers to the resilience of Jewish communities in the diaspora included the interaction with the hosting country and other communities, characteristics of the community itself, and psychological and cultural issues.Discussion: Key gaps in the literature included the absence of quantitative measures of community resilience and the lack of descriptions of how community resilience affects individuals’ health-related quality of life. Future studies on the interaction between community resilience and health-related individual resilience are warranted

Pre-job loss grief reactions and work attachment among sick-listed employees:Introduction of the imminent job loss scale

Purpose: With this study, we aimed to explore the emotional experiences of sick-listed employees facing imminent job loss, as this emotional distress may hinder successful job search outcomes. The study had two objectives: (1) to develop and validate the Imminent Job Loss Scale (IJLS) for assessing pre-job loss grief reactions and (2) to examine its relationship to work attachment.Method: Development of the IJLS was carried out using feedback from an expert panel. The psychometric properties of the IJLS were evaluated, and its association with work attachment was examined using data from 200 sick-listed employees facing imminent job loss. Results: The IJLS demonstrated strong internal consistency and temporal stability, distinctiveness from depression and anxiety symptoms, and solid convergent validity. Work-centrality and organizational commitment were positively related to pre-job loss grief reactions, while work engagement and calling showed no significant associations.Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into pre-job loss grief reactions and shows the potential utility of the IJLS for screening and monitoring purposes. Understanding pre-job loss grief reactions can improve the re-integration and job prospects of sick-listed employees. In future research, explorations of these dynamics should continue to provide better support to sick-listed employees during this challenging period

Patterns, predictors, and prognostic validity of Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD) symptoms in recently bereaved adults:A latent class analysis

Persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD) entered DSM-5. No studies have yet examined the nature, prevalence, prognostic validity, and underlying mechanisms of PCBD symptom-patterns in recently bereaved people. Knowledge on these issues could improve the early identification and treatment of disturbed grief. Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups characterized by different PCBD symptompatterns among recently (≤6 months) bereaved adults (N = 476). In a subgroup (N = 251) we assessed associations of class-membership with PCBD-severity and functional impairment assessed three years later. Associations between classmembership and socio-demographic and cognitive-behavioral variables were also examined. We identified a Resilient (50.0%), Separation Distress (36.1%), and High PCBD Symptoms (13.9%) Class. Class-membership had prognostic value as evidenced by associations with PCBD-severity and functional impairment assessed three years later. Deaths of partners/children, unexpectedness of the loss, and maladaptive cognitions and avoidance behaviors were also associated with membership of the pervasive symptom classes