Meaning Reconstruction in the First Two Years of Bereavement: The Role of Sense-Making and Benefit-Finding

Abstract

Contemporary grief theories have highlighted the role of meaning-making in adaptation to bereavement, focusing on two major construals of meaning: making sense of the loss and finding benefit in the experience. The current investigation attempted a conceptual replication of the findings of Davis, Nolen-Hoeksema, and Larson (1998) that suggested that sense-making predicts adaptation to loss in the early period of bereavement, whereas benefit-finding primarily plays an ameliorative role as time progresses. To this end, an ethnically diverse sample of 1,022 recently bereaved college students completed the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG) as well as questions that assessed sense-making, benefit-finding, and the circumstances surrounding their losses. Results only partially replicated the findings of Davis and his colleagues, demonstrating that: 1) time since loss bore no relation to grief complications; 2) sense-making emerged as the most robust predictor of adjustment to bereavement; and 3) benefit finding interacted with sense making, with the fewest complications predicted when participants reported high sense, but low personal benefit, in the loss.

Prolonged Grief Disorder and Depression in a German Community Sample

“…It is also possible that those who are satisfied with their beliefs and their lives were more able to find an acceptable explanation for the loss. This might have helped them to make sense of and find benefit in the loss experience, factors that have been found to be associated with decreased complications in grieving (Holland et al, 2006).…”

“…However, most studies have sampled bereaved persons using no substantial variability in the time since the loss (e.g., Holland, Currier, & Neimeyer, 2006;Prigerson et al, 2002). Therefore, the current study aimed to include a sample of mourners who varied considerably in time since the loss.…”

Making sense of loss and grief: the value of in-depth assessments

“…Be ett s stud ould i di ate that esilie e is oth a ha a te isti a d a p ocess which can lead to a successful outcome. If resilience is defined as the ability to adapt, meaning making may play a key role in resilience, since the ability to construct meaning and make sense has been shown to be an important factor in successful adaptation to loss (Gillies & Neimeyer, 2006;Holland, Currier, & Neimeyer, 2006). We would suggest that resilience is a trait that can be depleted by loss but that it is possible to build back up.…”

Surviving the death of a sibling : a phenomenological study of childhood bereavement.

“…These findings align with meaning reconstruction theory concept of benefit-finding. The participants had the ability to see silver linings from the consequences of the loss (Holland, Currier, and Neimeyer, 2006). The participants took part in rituals such as a 5K race, donating…”