Prolonged Grief Severity and Lingering Attachment Predict Approach of the Deceased

The present dataset, syntax and output are connected to a published paper with the following identifier: https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23124. The paper contains a detailed description of the data collection procedures, sample characteristics, analyses, and results from the analyses. This is the paper's ABSTRACT: Following the death of a loved one, both approach behaviors related to the deceased (i.e., engagement with feelings, memories, and/or reminders of the deceased) and the avoidance of reminders of the death are theorized to precipitate severe and persistent grief reactions, termed prolonged grief (PG). The “approach‐avoidance processing hypothesis” holds that these behavioral tendencies occur simultaneously in prolonged grief disorder (PGD). We tested this hypothesis using a novel free‐viewing attention task. Bereaved adults (N = 72, 81.9% female) completed a survey assessing PG symptoms, depressive symptoms, and lingering attachment and a free‐viewing task assessing voluntary attention toward pictures of the deceased and combinations of the deceased with loss‐related words (i.e., loss‐reality reminders). A main finding was that participants with higher PG symptom levels, ρ(70) = .32, p = .006, and more lingering attachment, ρ(70) = .26, p = .030, showed stronger attentional focus toward pictures of the deceased. No significant association emerged between either PG symptom levels or lingering attachment and attention toward loss‐reality reminders. The findings suggest that higher PG symptom levels may be characterized by persisting approach tendencies toward the deceased. Countering excessive proximity‐seeking to the deceased in therapy could be beneficial for bereaved adults who show severe and persistent grief reactions.

本数据集、语法及输出关联于一篇已发表的论文，其标识符为：https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23124。该论文详细阐述了数据收集流程、样本特征、分析方法与分析结果。以下为该论文的摘要：
在挚爱离世后，与逝者相关的趋近行为（即直面与逝者有关的情感、记忆及/或相关提醒物）以及回避死亡相关提醒物的行为，被理论认为会引发严重且持久的哀伤反应，即延长型哀伤（prolonged grief, PG）。“趋近-回避加工假说”提出，延长型哀伤障碍（prolonged grief disorder, PGD）患者会同时出现这两类行为倾向。本研究采用全新的自由观看注意任务对该假说进行了检验。72名丧亲成年人（其中81.9%为女性）完成了一份评估延长型哀伤症状、抑郁症状及持续依恋的问卷，以及一项自由观看任务，用于评估个体对逝者图片以及逝者与哀伤相关词汇组合图片（即哀伤现实提醒物）的自主注意偏向。核心研究结果显示，延长型哀伤症状水平更高的参与者（ρ(70)=0.32, p=0.006）以及持续依恋程度更强的参与者（ρ(70)=0.26, p=0.030），对逝者图片的注意聚焦程度更强。而延长型哀伤症状水平或持续依恋程度，与对哀伤现实提醒物的注意偏向均未呈现显著关联。研究结果表明，更高水平的延长型哀伤症状，可能表现为对逝者持续存在的趋近倾向。在治疗中针对表现出严重持久哀伤反应的丧亲成年人，干预其过度趋近逝者的行为或可带来获益。