An investigation of approach behaviour in Prolonged Grief
Abstract
Prolonged Grief (PG) is recognized as a potentially debilitating post-bereavement syndrome. Theoretical models of PG highlight the importance of both approach and avoidance behaviours in maintaining the syndrome. Research to date has focussed primarily on investigating avoidance in response to loss reminders. Comparatively few studies have indexed approach behaviours in PG. We use a quasi-experimental paradigm to simultaneously examine approach and avoidance behaviours to reminders of the deceased. Fifty-five bereaved individuals with and without PG responded to stimuli showing the deceased's name, an attachment figure's name, a neutral name, or a letter string, by pulling or pushing a joystick according to a whether the stimuli was a word or not. Concurrent visual feedback created the illusion that the images were either approaching or receding from the participant. Participants with PG were quicker to pull than push the three name stimuli, with quicker pulling of the deceased and attachment name than the neutral name. Non-PG participants responded more quickly to the attachment name but evidenced no relative approach or avoidance of any stimuli. Findings provide behavioural evidence about approach behaviour in PG, and are discussed with references to models that recognise the role of yearning for the deceased in PG.
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People with prolonged grief disorder are drawn to stimuli reminiscent of the deceased.
“On behavioural tasks, people with prolonged grief disorder are drawn to stimuli reminiscent of the deceased 103,104 .”
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- Authors
- Maccallum, F., & Bryant, R. A.
- Affiliations
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- UNSW Sydney (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Maccallum, Fiona
- Venue
- Behaviour Research and Therapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-08
- Volume
- 119
- Pages
- 103405
- ISSN
- 0005-7967 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2945949738
- Cited by
- 16
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 2.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behaviour Research and Therapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (568970, 455341, 1053997)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- prolonged grief disorder, approach behavior, avoidance behavior, bereavement, attachment figures
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Avoidance Learning, Choice Behavior, Female, Grief, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Object Attachment, Photic Stimulation, Young Adult
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