The National Archive of Grief Support Studies
The National Archive of Grief Support Studies(NAGSS) database provides bibliographical information and summaries of recent articles selected for their relevance to grief and bereavement service providers. The articles that are summarized are selected from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and are intended to highlight key concepts as well as provide a brief statement of implications for service providers. Bibliographical information may be used to obtain the original article.
Profiles of Posttraumatic Growth Following an Unjust Loss
Authors:
Davis, Christopher G.
Wohl, Michael J. A.
Verberg, Norine
Source:
Death Studies: 2007. Volume 31, pp. 693-712.
Summary
This article summarizes a study designed to develop understanding of the connections between personal losses and posttraumatic growth. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with 52 family members of men who had been killed eight years previously in a mine explosion. The interviews included assessments of depression and psychological well-being as well as open-ended questions designed to explore both the positive and negative effects of the loss experience on the participants. Using the responses, the researchers identified three clusters of participants, with each cluster representing a distinct way of coping with significant loss. The first cluster reported feeling that they had suffered a major loss that shattered their sense of self, but also reported that they had made sense of the loss and had gained significant self-knowledge and personal growth. The second cluster consisted of participants who were unable to make sense of the loss and who did not experience personal growth or positive changes. The third cluster of participants did not consider the loss they had experienced to be one that shattered their assumptions, nor did they seek to make sense of the loss. The third group did report some positive personal growth, but less than that experienced by the first cluster. The three clusters did not differ in terms of the levels of depression and well-being.
Key words: growth, meaning, posttrauma
Service Provider Implications
The researchers conclude that different people respond to, and adjust to, losses in different ways. The researchers found a link between a search for meaning following a loss and personal growth. However, individuals who achieved personal growth following a loss did not differ significantly in terms of depression or sense of well-being from those who did not make sense of the loss.
