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.
The Relationship between Explanatory Style and Posttraumatic Growth After Bereavement in a Non-clinical Sample
Authors:
Ho, Samuel M.
Chu, Kwung Wing
Yiu, Jessie
Source:
Death Studies: 2008. Volume 32, pp. 461-478.
Summary
This article discusses the factors that influence positive changes, or posttraumatic growth, following bereavement. The study was based upon questionnaires completed by 105 undergraduate students in Hong Kong who had experienced the death of a loved one within the last six years. The authors found that participants who had a more optimistic explanatory view of positive events had higher posttraumatic growth scores. Explanatory theory defines an optimistic explanatory style as one characterized by an assessment of good events as resulting from internal, global, and stable factors. The participants’ explanatory style for negative events was not associated with the posttraumatic growth scores.
Key words: explanatory, growth, posttrauma, student
Service Provider Implications
This article discusses the role of explanatory style as a factor in adjusting positively to bereavement. Clinicians may benefit from awareness that a positive explanatory style may contribute to positive adjustment, and personal growth, following the death of a loved one.
