Trajectories of complicated grief

Abstract

Background and Objectives: In the discussion of apparent similarities between symptoms of grief and depression, research and theory have often confounded these two constructs because, as a construct, grief is distinct from depression and because these two constructs may have distinct trajectories. This study examines the trajectories of complicated grief and associated risks and the relationship between trajectories of complicated grief and depression. Design: Longitudinal. Setting: Intervention methods for enhancing family caregiving for persons with dementia. Participants: A total of 221 participants of the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health project. Measurement: The Inventory of Complicated Grief. Results: The results based on group-based mixture modeling identify two distinct trajectories of grief (persistently high and low) and three distinct trajectories of depression (persistently high, moderate, and low). There were significant differences between the proportion of grief trajectory membership and that of depression trajectory membership, indicating distinct patterns over time. Conclusions: Noteworthy is the significant difference between the proportion of grief trajectory membership and that of depression trajectory membership, indicating differences in distinct patterns over time.