Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (PhD)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor/Committee Member

Jacob Bentley

Second Advisor/Committee Member

Joel Jin

Third Advisor/Committee Member

Lillian Chen

Abstract

Traumatic Grief (TG) entails clinically significant expressions of grief and posttraumatic stress following bereavement. TG experiences are more likely following violent, sudden, or accidental losses, which has been largely explained by integrative meaning-making processes. In this study, I aimed to explore relationships between integrative meaning, mindfulness, and TG among a sample of adults (N = 237) bereaved by various circumstances. First, I sought to contribute to findings regarding the negative association between integrative meaning and TG experiences by investigating whether this relationship persists among individuals bereaved by varied circumstances. Second, I sought to explore the role of mindfulness in meaning-making and grieving processes. Specifically, I was interested in exploring mindfulness as a potential mediator between integrative meaning and TG experiences. The omnibus test was statistically significant, F(3, 232) = 112.75, p < .001, R2 = .60, indicating that 60% of variance in the outcome (TG) was accounted for by the model. Further, I found statistically significant direct effects between integrative meaning and TG experiences (b = -.568, CI = -.648, -.489) as well as integrative meaning and mindfulness (b = .334, CI = .232, .437). However, the indirect effect of mindfulness on the relationship between integrative meaning and TG experiences was not statistically significant, and thus a mediation model was not supported. Findings challenge categorical methods for assessing trauma and suggest relevance of research examining relationships between integrative meaning and mindfulness.

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