The Role of Threatening Misinterpretations and Avoidance in Emotional Problems After Loss

There is uncertainty about the role of avoidance behaviours in recovery from loss. Some authors have noted that avoidance exacerbates grief, whereas others have claimed that avoidance, at some times during the grieving process, can foster recovery. In the current study, it was hypothesized that avoidance behaviours are particularly detrimental when mourners have threatening misinterpretations about the consequences of confronting the loss, but less detrimental when mourners do not have such misinterpretations. To test this hypothesis, 400 mourners completed questionnaires tapping threatening misinterpretations, avoidance, and complicated grief (CG) and depression. In support of the prediction, situational avoidance, ruminative avoidance, and efforts to maintain ties with the deceased were only linked with depression in those who strongly endorsed misinterpretations. In addition, misinterpretations magnified the associations of ruminative avoidance and efforts to continue ties, with CG. Findings suggest that avoidance interacts with threatening misinterpretations in affecting particular emotional problems after loss.