Psychological Outcomes Associated With Traumatic Loss in a Sample of Young Women

Abstract

Traumatic loss has recently emerged as an important subcategory of bereavement. This study compared structured clinical interviews and self-report measures among female undergraduates with no reported history of trauma (n = 58), a single physical assault as their only trauma (n = 34), and a single violent loss as their only trauma (n = 32). The traumatic loss group had higher rates of acute stress disorder, intrusion symptoms, reexperiencing of the trauma, and impaired school performance compared to the no trauma and physical assault groups. Their levels of dissociation and overall adjustment were similar to those for the physical assault group. The findings indicated that traumatic loss alone, even in a low-risk sample, was associated with traditional trauma reactions and noteworthy levels of distress and functional impairment. These reactions were evident an average of 4 years postloss, even in the absence of personal life threat or injury.