Prolonged Grief in Young Bereaved Spouses and Partners

Lost to Cancer: Prolonged Grief in Young Bereaved Spouses and Partners

The purpose of the research is to learn more about the experience of grief in young bereaved spouses/partners. Recent research has shown that young bereaved spouses/partners experience grief uniquely from other age groups, but it is still unclear how certain factors affect the experience of grief. The investigators research team is interested in studying how the psychological factors of trauma, personality, and meaning of the loss affect grief reactions in young spouses/partners after the loss of a spouse to cancer.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants must be at least 20 years old and no older than 49 years and 11 months old.
• Participants must have lost a spouse/domestic partner to cancer 6 months to 3 years earlier.
• Participants must be able to give informed consent.
• Participants must be able to comprehend English to complete study assessments.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Major psychopathology or cognitive impairment likely in the judgment of the research staff to interfere with the participation or completion of the protocol.