Complicated grief and post-traumatic stress symptom profiles in bereaved earthquake survivors: a latent class analysis

Abstract

<b>Background</b>: Studies on mental health following disasters have primarily focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet severe, enduring, and disabling grief [i.e. complicated grief (CG)] also appears relevant. <b>Objective</b>: The present study examines symptom profiles of PTSD and CG among bereaved Sichuan earthquake survivors 1 year after the disaster. <b>Method</b>: Self-report measures of demographic, disaster, and loss-related characteristics and symptoms of PTSD and CG were administered among 803 survivors (63% women; mean age = 46.7 years). Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to identify subgroups of people with different PTSD and CG symptom profiles. <b>Results</b>: The LCA demonstrated that a five-class solution yielded the best fit, consisting of a CG class with low PTSD and high CG (<i>N</i> = 208), a combined class with high PTSD and high CG (<i>N</i> = 205), a class with low PTSD and partial CG (<i>N</i> = 145), a class with partial PTSD and CG (<i>N</i> = 136), and a resilient class with low PTSD and CG (<i>N</i> = 108). Being a woman (vs man), losing a child or spouse (vs other), being injured (vs non-injured), and/or having a missing family member (vs non-missing) predicted membership of the CG class compared to other classes. <b>Conclusions</b>: CG appears to be a unique consequence of disasters involving many casualties. Disaster survivors should be screened for CG and provided with appropriate psychological treatment.