Insecure Attachment Styles and Complicated Grief Severity Applying What We Know to Inform Future Directions

A growing body of evidence supports links between attachment style, complicated grief (CG), and coping mechanisms in bereavement. In general, adults with insecure attachment styles are at an increased risk for developing CG when faced with the death of a loved one. However, much remains unknown rega...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inOmega: Journal of Death and Dying Vol. 73; no. 3; pp. 231 - 249
Main Authors Schenck, Laura K., Eberle, Kiersten M., Rings, Jeffrey A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.08.2016
Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects
Clinical psychology
Coping
Grief
Personality psychology
Personality traits
Risk factors
Social impact
bereavement
treatment
complicated grief
attachment
counseling
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Summary:A growing body of evidence supports links between attachment style, complicated grief (CG), and coping mechanisms in bereavement. In general, adults with insecure attachment styles are at an increased risk for developing CG when faced with the death of a loved one. However, much remains unknown regarding this complex interaction. This article provides a comprehensive synthesis of this literature base, offering future directions for attachment-informed CG research, clinical assessment, and treatment. The clear risk posed by an insecure attachment style on CG highlights the need for a proper and thorough assessment of attachment style as part of standard practice in grief-related treatment as well as the importance of meeting the unique clinical needs of the bereaved in consideration of one's attachment style. Further emphasis also should be placed on the mediating impacts of sociocultural variables, any of which could help to mitigate one's return to a level of preloss functioning.
ISSN:0030-2228
1541-3764
DOI:10.1177/0030222815576124