Public Stigma of Prolonged Grief Disorder: An Experimental Replication and Extension

Prolonged grief disorder's (PGD's) recent recognition as a psychiatric diagnosis has elicited concerns about stigmatization. Although prior research demonstrated that PGD elicits public stigma, moderators of this effect are unclear, and the effect requires replication in an English-speakin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe journal of nervous and mental disease Vol. 210; no. 3; p. 199
Main Authors Dennis, Hayley, Eisma, Maarten C, Breen, Lauren J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.03.2022
Subjects
Adult
Australia
Bereavement
Female
Grief
Humans
Male
Prolonged Grief Disorder
Social Stigma
Australia
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Summary:Prolonged grief disorder's (PGD's) recent recognition as a psychiatric diagnosis has elicited concerns about stigmatization. Although prior research demonstrated that PGD elicits public stigma, moderators of this effect are unclear, and the effect requires replication in an English-speaking population. Therefore, we investigated the effects of PGD, sex of the bereaved, and death expectedness on public stigma toward bereaved persons. We randomly assigned 195 Australian adults (77% female; mean age, 35.7 years) to read one of eight vignettes describing a bereaved male or female subject, with or without PGD, after an expected or unexpected death. Participants reported their emotional reactions and negative attributions toward, and desired social distance from, the bereaved person. A person with PGD (vs. without) elicited stronger emotional reactions, negative attributions, and desired social distance. No robust moderator effects emerged. Results validate concerns that PGD causes stigma. Stigmatization may be targeted by information campaigns or psychological treatment.
ISSN:1539-736X
DOI:10.1097/NMD.0000000000001427