How many ways to meet the criteria for a prolonged grief disorder?
Method Stream: Longitudinal Intensive Methods
ECs: 14EC
Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD), characterized by severe, disabling grief, has recently been added as a diagnosis to the DSM-5-TR and ICD-11. In general, a person must experience a certain number of core symptoms and additional symptoms to receive a diagnosis. Previous research shows that there can be many different ways in which one can meet the criteria for grief disorders. This heterogeneity is problematic because it implies that people with different grief profiles receive the same diagnosis, while suffering from different types of symptoms. This can lead to difficulties in identifying underlying mechanisms and therapeutic intervention strategies for bereaved people. To date, prolonged grief has mainly been examined from a theoretical-statistical perspective (i.e., calculating the number of ways in which people can meet the criteria). In the current project, we will determine to what extent there is symptom heterogeneity among people who meet the criteria for PGD, based on existing data from a large sample of bereaved people with PGD. We are looking for a student who enjoys organizing data, thinking logically, and who is not afraid of spreadsheets and (a little) statistics. In exchange for your time and effort, you will receive regular supervision from an experienced and committed grief researcher and a possibility to be included in publishing this work as scientific paper after successful completion and mutual agreement to continue collaborating together.
This project takes place in collaboration with researchers from University of Groningen and Utrecht University. Two students can work on this project together.
References
Bryant, R. A., Galatzer-Levy, I., Hadzi-Pavlovic, D. (2023). The heterogeneity of posttraumatic stress disorder in DSM-5. JAMA Psychiatry, 80(2), 189-191.
Lenferink, L. I. M., & Eisma, M. C. (2018). 37,650 ways to have "persistent complex bereavement disorder" yet only 48 ways to have "prolonged grief disorder". Psychiatry research, 261, 88–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.12.050