Charney, M. E., Bui, E., Sager, J. C., Ohye, B. Y., Goetter, E. M., & Simon, N. (2018). Complicated grief among military service members and veterans who served after September 11, 2001. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31(1), 157-162. doi:10.1002/jts.22254

Service members and Veterans are at risk for complicated grief (i.e., having intense grief symptoms such as nonacceptance of the death and preoccupation about the deceased). This study had 468 mental health treatment-seeking Service members and Veterans complete questionnaires regarding their complicated grief symptoms, mental health symptoms, and quality of life. Results indicated that the prevalence of complicated grief was high among participants and that complicated grief was associated with a number of mental health symptoms.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jts.22254

Mental health
Programming
Veterans

Army
Marine Corps
Multiple branches

Active Duty
Guard
Veteran

Active duty service member
Guard/Reserve member
Veteran

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)

Quantitative Study
Cross-Sectional Study

Charney, Meredith E., Bui, Eric, Sager, Julia C., Ohye, Bonnie Y., Goetter, Elizabeth M., Simon, Naomi M.

Minimal research is available on the prevalence and impact of complicated grief (CG) in military service members and veterans, despite high reported rates of loss in this population. The present study aimed to examine prevalence rates of CG in a sample of treatment-seeking military service and members and veterans who served after September 11, 2001. Additionally, the study aimed to examine characteristics associated with CG as well as the association between CG and quality of life. In a sample of 622 military service members and veterans who served after September 11, 2001, 502 reported a significant loss (80.7%). Usable data were available for a total of 468 participants. Of these 468 participants, 30.3% (n = 142) met diagnostic criteria for CG, as defined by a score of 30 or more on the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG; Prigerson et al., 1995). We conducted a series of t tests and chi-square tests to examine the differences between individuals who met criteria for CG and those who did not. The presence of CG was associated with worse PTSD, d = 0.68, p < .001; depression, d = −1.10, p < .001; anxiety, d = −1.02, p < .001; stress, d = 0.99, p < .001; and quality of life, d = 0.76, p < .001. Multiple regression analyses examined the independent impact of CG on quality of life. Complicated grief was associated with poorer quality of life above and beyond PTSD, β = −.12, p = .017. In addition, in a separate regression, CG was associated with poorer quality of life above and beyond depression, β = −.13, p < .001. Overall, our findings highlight the impact of CG on this population, and have implications for assessment and treatment.

John Wiley & Sons

Article
REACH Publication

The Home Base Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MEC
The Home Base Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, EB
The Home Base Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, JCS
The Home Base Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, BYO
The Home Base Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, EMG
The Home Base Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, NMS