Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Sep;33(8):691-711.
doi: 10.1080/07481180903070392.

Stigmatization and receptivity to mental health services among recently bereaved adults

Affiliations

Stigmatization and receptivity to mental health services among recently bereaved adults

Jeffrey G Johnson et al. Death Stud. 2009 Sep.

Abstract

Severe grief symptoms, treatment receptivity, attitudes about grief, and stigmatization concerns were assessed in a community-based sample of 135 widowed participants in the Yale Bereavement Study. There was a statistically significant association between the severity of grief symptoms and reported negative reactions from friends and family members. However, more than 90% of the respondents with complicated grief, a severe grief disorder, reported that they would be relieved to know that having such a diagnosis was indicative of a recognizable psychiatric condition, and 100% reported that they would be interested in receiving treatment for their severe grief symptoms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Associations of attitudes about grief (dotted line), receptivity to treatment (solid line), and concerns about stigmatization (dashed line) with grief severity scores.

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, D.C: Author; 2000.
    1. Angermeyer MC, Beck M, Dietrich S, Holzinger A. The stigma of mental illness: patients' anticipations and experiences. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2004;50:153–162. - PubMed
    1. Bambauer KZ, Prigerson HG. The Stigma Receptivity Scale and its association with mental health service use among bereaved older adults. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 2006;194:139–141. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Boelen PA, van den Bout J, de Keijser J. Traumatic grief as a disorder distinct from bereavement-related depression and anxiety: a replication study with bereaved mental health care patients. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2003;160:1339–1341. - PubMed
    1. Chen JH, Gill TM, Prigerson HG. Health behaviors associated with better quality of life for older bereaved persons. Journal of Palliative Medicine. 2005;8:96–106. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources