Responses to Loss and Health Functioning Among Homicidally Bereaved African Americans

Abstract

This investigation of homicidally bereaved African Americans (N = 47) aimed to describe changes in levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and complicated grief (CG), and physical and mental health functioning over a 6-month interval. Results showed a significant decrease in depressive and CG symptoms over time, but no significant changes in PTSD symptoms or health functioning. We also found no significant, synchronous relations between any form of bereavement distress and physical health. Depression was related to functional mental health such that a temporal increase in depression was associated with a decrease in mental health functioning. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Tennessee Board of Regents for the project African Americans in Bereavement: Longitudinal Responses to Traumatic Loss. The authors gratefully acknowledge this support, as well as that of Victims to Victory, a nonprofit agency in Memphis, Tennessee, serving those bereaved by homicide.

Notes

Note. PCL-C = PTSD Checklist–Civilian Version; BDI-II = Beck Depression Inventory-II; ICG-R = Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised; SF-36 = Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36; PCS = SF-36 Physical Component Summary score; MCS = SF-36 Mental Component Summary score.

*p < .05; **p < .01.

Note. PCL-C = PTSD Checklist–Civilian Version; BDI-II = Beck Depression Inventory-II; ICG-R = Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised; PCS = SF-36 Physical Component Summary score; MCS = SF-36 Mental Component Summary score.

^a Cell sizes for correlations with this variable are n = 46.

^b Cell sizes for correlations with this variable are n = 45.

†p < .10; *p < .05; **p < .01.

Note. PCS = SF-36 Physical Component Summary score; MCS = SF-36 Mental Component Summary score; PCL-C = PTSD Checklist–Civilian Version; BDI-II = Beck Depression Inventory-II; ICG-R = Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised; Time = assessment points (T1 and T2).

†p < .10; **p < .01.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joah L. Williams

Joah L. Williams is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Memphis. His clinical and research interests involve the psychosocial and health consequences of traumatic stress exposure. His interests also include topics in research design and analysis.

Laurie A. Burke

Laurie A. Burke is a clinical psychology PhD candidate at the University of Memphis, where she is a bereavement researcher studying loss and grief. She is particularly interested in complicated grief and the role that social support and spirituality play in helping or hindering loss accommodation for individuals traumatized by loss. Additionally, she investigates predictors of complicated grief.

Meghan E. McDevitt-Murphy

Meghan E. McDevitt-Murphy is a clinical psychologist and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Memphis. She is primarily interested in studying trauma responses including posttraumatic stress disorder and substance abuse in both civilian and veteran samples.

Robert A. Neimeyer

Robert A. Neimeyer is a professor in the Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, where he also maintains an active clinical practice. Since completing his doctoral training at the University of Nebraska in 1982, he has conducted extensive research on the topics of death, suicide intervention, and grief and loss, with an emphasis on meaning-based processing of bereavement.