Grief communication, grief reactions and marital satisfaction in bereaved parents

Abstract

This study examined if attitudes about grief communication are related to grief reactions and marital satisfaction in bereaved parents. The sample consisted of 36 couples who experienced the loss of a child. For the couple as a unit, the relation between attitudes about communication and grief changed over time, and the nature of the change was related to the level of communication; positive attitudes about open communication were related to high grief in the early stages of bereavement and to low grief in later stages. No relation to marital satisfaction was found. Spouses were correlated in their attitudes about communication, but women valued open communication significantly more than men. Positive attitudes about grief communication were related to men's grief reactions but not marital satisfaction; whereas for women, positive attitudes were related to marital satisfaction but not grief.