Perceptions of grief reactions in family members of incarcerated individuals: A vignette-based experiment

Abstract

We examined perceptions of individuals grieving the loss of a family member to incarceration. Participants (N = 1095) were randomized to a vignette that varied by race-ethnicity, crime type, and grief trajectory to assess their perceptions. Results indicated: (1) participants perceived prolonged grief as less appropriate than resilience; (2) Black family members grieving someone who committed a violent crime as more appropriate compared to White family members; and (3) women endorsed both grief trajectories as more appropriate and indicated greater comfort supporting the family member. Lastly, participants indicated prolonged, White and Latinx grievers should seek therapy more than resilient or Black individuals.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data utilized in this article has not been published elsewhere. The data utilized in this article was presented at the American Psychology-Law Society conference in March, 2022. The data can be made available upon request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (L30 MH120575).