Belief in and Personal Experience with Stage Models of Grief amongst Bereaved Individuals

Abstract

Despite accumulating evidence against stage models of grief, these models remain widely accepted and endorsed with potential negative implications for bereaved when their grief is not experienced in stages. The current study investigated whether: a) a positive association exists between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and belief in stages of grief; b) a positive association exists between negative personal experience with stage models of grief and grief symptoms; c) avoidant coping moderates the association between negative personal experience with stages of grief and grief symptoms. The study employed an exploratory, cross-sectional design using data obtained from an online survey. Participants (N = 122), aged between 18 and 60 years, were bereaved individuals who had experienced the loss of a loved one within the last 5 years. Results of simple linear regression analyses revealed no significant association between IU and belief in stages of grief nor between negative personal experience with stage models and grief symptoms. The moderation analysis revealed avoidant coping as having no moderating effect in the latter association, however avoidant coping was found to significantly predict grief symptoms. Despite its limitations, it is hoped that the current study encourages future research to further investigate variables that may influence belief in stage models of grief and the potential negative impact of stage models when bereaved do not experience their grief in stages.