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.