Is Prolonged Grief Distinct From Depression?

Abstract

The question of whether prolonged grief disorder (PGD) can be best conceptualized as a symptom cluster distinct from depression has not yet been resolved. In this study, 61 German respondents who had lost a first-degree relative were interviewed. Associations between PGD and depression and PGD and suicidality were investigated. In order to examine the distinctiveness of PGD and depression, a multitrait correlational matrix analysis using modified versions of generalized proximity functions (GPFs) was conducted. The syndromes were strongly linked to each other with a high comorbidity. No discriminant validity was found between the two constructs, suggesting that the concept of PGD includes symptoms that are conceptually related to depression. Further research is needed before final conclusions can be drawn as to whether PGD constitutes a separate diagnostic entity.

KEYWORDS:

• association
• bereavement
• complicated grief
• depression
• distinction
• prolonged grief disorder

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I greatly thank Anne Richter for support in data collection. I thank the respondents for their trust and openness. This research was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susanne Schaal

Susanne Schaal is a research associate at the University of Ulm. Her main research interests include mental health in survivors and perpetrators living in post-conflict settings, psychotherapeutic interventions in trauma-spectrum and stress-related disorders, prolonged grief disorder, and reconciliation in post-war societies.