Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) and its Relationship to Gender, Loss Type, and Time.

Abstract

The severity and duration of grief can vary among individuals, most experience decreasing grief severity while some experience intense and persistent grief reactions that significantly impair their daily functioning. Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is a condition characterized by intense and persistent grief that lasts longer than would normally be expected following a loss. This study aims to investigate how gender interacts with loss type, and time differences to influence the development of PGD. This was researched using data from the Measurements Archive of Reactions to Bereavement from Longitudinal European Studies (MARBLES project) with a sample size of 2334 bereaved individuals. The sample consisted of 48.06% (n = 1122) natural death losses, 4.45% (n = 104) accident losses, 17.45% (n = 407) homicide losses, and 5.46% (n = 127) suicide losses. Results showed significant main effects, as well as one significant interaction effect. However, there was no significant exploratory three-way interaction. Females reported slightly higher PGD symptom scores compared to males with a small effect size, suggesting gender differences may not be as significant as initially thought. Additionally, there was an indication that PGD-symptom change over time, does not differ by gender. The study's findings contribute to a better understanding of the nuances in PGD development, suggesting that while gender might be a contributing factor, its influence is small and likely connected with other variables such as loss type and time since the loss.