Getting unstuck: the roles of hope, finding meaning, and rumination in the adjustment to bereavement among college students

Abstract

The relationships between hope, bereavement-related rumination, and finding meaning (making sense and benefit finding) were examined in 158 college students who experienced the death of a loved one within the latter half of their lives. Greater rumination was related significantly to lessened psychological well-being, and it mediated the relationship between being able to make sense of the death and superior well-being. Finding benefits in bereavement was associated with positive adjustment for those who recently experienced the death of a loved one, whereas it was related to negative adjustment for those who experienced the death longer ago. Higher hope predicted greater well-being, but it was not related to rumination or finding meaning.