Anxiety and adaptation in bereavement

Abstract

Six to eight weeks after the loss of their husbands, thirty-nine Norwegian widows were studied with standard questionnaires: Spieiberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale (STAI), Goldberg General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and The General Well-Being Schedule (GWB). Significant changes in adaptation took place within the first year of bereavement. There was a connection between the severity of the early emotional reactions and the resultant level of adaptation. The initial reactions predicted the level of adaptation one year after the loss. One year of bereavement seemed to be a period within which readaptation took place after the loss of the spouse. Changes in anxiety as a personality trait was found, indicative of the potential long-term effects of psychological trauma.

Key Words:

• anxiety
• bereavement
• coping
• adaptation
• outcome prediction
• personality change