Grief is a family affair: examining longitudinal associations between prolonged grief in parents and their adult children using four-wave cross-lagged panel models

TY - JOUR

T1 - Grief is a family affair: examining longitudinal associations between prolonged grief in parents and their adult children using four-wave cross-lagged panel models

AU - Lenferink, Lonneke

AU - O'Connor, Maja

PY - 2023/11/8

Y1 - 2023/11/8

N2 - Background: Losing a parent or spouse in adulthood may result in prolonged grief disorder (PGD) symptoms. PGD levels in parents may affect PGD levels in their adult offspring and the other way around. However, research on transmission of PGD in parent–child dyads is lacking. Consequently, we aimed to examine temporal associations between PGD levels in parent and adult children. Methods: In doing so, we analyzed longitudinal self-report data on PGD levels (using the PG13) assessed at 2, 11, 18, and 26 months after loss in 257 adult parent–child dyads from Denmark. Cross-lagged panel modeling was used for data-analyses. Results: Changes in PGD levels in parents significantly predicted PGD levels in adult children, but not vice versa. Small through moderate cross-lagged effects (β = 0.05 through 0.07) were found for PGD levels in parents predicting PGD levels in adult children at a subsequent time-point. These cross-lagged effects were found while taking into account the association between PGD levels in parents and adult children at the same time-point as well as the associations between the same construct over time and relevant covariates. Conclusions: Pending replication of these findings in clinical samples and younger families, our findings offer tentative support for expanding our focus in research and treatment of PGD from the individual to the family level.

AB - Background: Losing a parent or spouse in adulthood may result in prolonged grief disorder (PGD) symptoms. PGD levels in parents may affect PGD levels in their adult offspring and the other way around. However, research on transmission of PGD in parent–child dyads is lacking. Consequently, we aimed to examine temporal associations between PGD levels in parent and adult children. Methods: In doing so, we analyzed longitudinal self-report data on PGD levels (using the PG13) assessed at 2, 11, 18, and 26 months after loss in 257 adult parent–child dyads from Denmark. Cross-lagged panel modeling was used for data-analyses. Results: Changes in PGD levels in parents significantly predicted PGD levels in adult children, but not vice versa. Small through moderate cross-lagged effects (β = 0.05 through 0.07) were found for PGD levels in parents predicting PGD levels in adult children at a subsequent time-point. These cross-lagged effects were found while taking into account the association between PGD levels in parents and adult children at the same time-point as well as the associations between the same construct over time and relevant covariates. Conclusions: Pending replication of these findings in clinical samples and younger families, our findings offer tentative support for expanding our focus in research and treatment of PGD from the individual to the family level.

KW - Bereavment

KW - child

KW - dyads

KW - families

KW - loss

KW - parent

KW - prolonged grief

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85179838950

U2 - 10.1017/S0033291723001101

DO - 10.1017/S0033291723001101

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37154206

SN - 0033-2917

VL - 53

SP - 1

EP - 7

JO - Psychological Medicine

JF - Psychological Medicine

IS - 15

ER -