Table 3 Extracted data from included studies about complicated grief

Piper et al. [65]

Canada

277 psychiatric outpatients

70% women

Types of losses: parent (45%), partner (10%), sibling (9%), friend (8.4%), child (7%), grandparents (5%), other (15%)

Age range

M: 43,1

Grief symptoms

Patient’s promotion of dependence of the deceased

INTREX Questionnaire

(16 items)

Present Feeling Subscale of the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG)

PGI

IES

SAS-SR

Pearson Correlations,

Stepwise Regression Analyses

Pearson Correlations:

Significant direct association between patient’s promotion of dependence of the deceased and TRIG grief score: r [129] = 0.21, p = 0.015

Stepwise Regression Analysis:

Patient’s promotion of dependence of the deceased accounted for 4% of the variation in the TRIG grief score

Bonanno et al. [16]

USA

205 widowed persons (non- clinical sample)

180 male, 25 female

Age range

M: 72

SD: 6.5

Grief symptoms

Interpersonal Dependency, Dependency on the spouse

Interpersonal Dependency Scale

(5 items)

Bereavement index

Present feelings about loss scale

Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG)

ANOVA

Interpersonal Dependency (F (4–80) = 3.30, p < 0.05):

- Chronic grievers: M = 0.31, SD = 0.88

- Resilient individuals: M = 0.11, SD = 0.89

Dependency on the spouse (F (4–80) = 2.58, p < 0.05):

- Chronic grievers: M = 0.19, SD = 0.86

- Resilient individuals: M = 0.29, SD = 1.10

Denckla et al. [28]

USA

102 non-clinical sample

(Married 36, prolonged grief 25, resolved grief 41)

Grief symptoms

Healthy Dependency, Destructive Overdependence

RPT

Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders

ANOVA

Healthy Dependency (F = 5.12, p = 0.008):

- Prolonged: M = 31.00, SD = 6.52

- Resolved: M = 35.73, SD = 6.44

Destructive Overdependence (F = 0.12, p = 0.883):

- Prolonged: M = 27.36, SD = 9.39

- Resolved: M = 26.22, SD = 8.46

Mancini et al. [52]

USA

178 non-clinical sample

(104 bereaved, 74 married participants; 33 resilient, 40 recovered, 31 prolonged grievers)

Age:

under 65

Bereaved:

M: 51.43, SD: 9.48

Married

M: 49.42, SD: 9.37

Grief symptoms

Healthy Dependency, Destructive Overdependence

RPT

Structured clinical interview

Univariate analyses, multivariate analyses (polychotomous logistic regression model)

Univariate analysis

Healthy Dependency (F = 5.16, p < 0.05):

- Prolonged: M = 3.19, SD = 0.66

- Resilient: M = 3.65, SD = 0.55

- Recovered: M = 3.66, SD = 0.54

Destructive Overdependence (F = 1.22, p < 0.25):

- Prolonged: M = 2.85, SD = 0.83

- Resilient: M = 2.43, SD = 0.71

Multivariate analysis:

Healthy Dependency:

- Prolonged vs. resilient: OR [95% CI] = 2.35 [0.25, 0.22, 0.06]

- Recovered vs. Prolonged: OR [95% CI] = 5.98 [1.26, 28.35]

Destructive Overdependence:

- Prolonged vs. resilient: OR [95% CI] = 6.42 [1.70, 24.21]

- Recovered vs. prolonged: OR [95% CI] = 0.51 [0.22, 1.18]