Disambiguating Dependency and Attachment Among Conjugally Bereaved Adults

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effects of dependency and attachment in adjusting to the loss of a loved one by directly comparing the relative contribution of each to bereavement outcomes among midlife adults. Comparisons among attachment and dependency are made using models that control for attachment among three groups of bereaved adults (N = 102): prolonged grievers (n = 25), resolved grievers (n = 41), and a married comparison group (n = 36). Prolonged grievers displayed higher marginal means of dysfunctional detachment dependency and lower marginal means of healthy dependency compared to resolved grievers and married adults, even when controlling for attachment style. Findings suggest that attachment and dependency predict unique domains of grief outcome.

KEYWORDS:

• dependency
• detachment
• attachment
• bereavement
• prolonged grief

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christy A. Denckla

Christy A. Denckla is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University, and a Clinical Fellow in Psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Her research has focused on individual differences in response to aversive life events, including bereavement, interpersonal trauma, and daily stressors.

Robert F. Bornstein

Robert F. Bornstein is a professor of psychology at Adelphi University. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on personality dynamics, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.

Anthony D. Mancini

Anthony D. Mancini is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Pace University. His research and scholarly interests have focused on the different ways that people respond to life events and acute adversity.

George A. Bonanno

George A. Bonanno is a professor of clinical psychology and director of the Loss, Trauma, and Emotion Lab at Columbia University's Teachers College. His interests center on the question of how human beings cope with loss, trauma, and other forms of extreme adversity, with an emphasis on resilience and the salutary role of flexible emotion regulatory processes.