The Role of Abandonment Schema and Perception of Social Interactions (Positive and Negative Thoughts) on Complicated Bereavement: The Mediating Role of Existential Anxiety in People with Bereavement Experience

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, University of Ardakan, Ardakan, Iran

2 Department of Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Background: When a loved one passes away, individuals typically go through a natural grieving process to cope with the loss, as grief is a universal human experience.
 
Objectives: This study aims to assess the role of abandonment schema and perception of social interactions (positive and negative thoughts) on existential anxiety and complicated bereavement in people with bereavement experiences.
 
Methods: This study was a combination of descriptive-correlational and cross-sectional research using the structural equation modeling approach. The research focused on individuals who were experiencing grief in Isfahan City from July to November 2021, with a sample size of 260 participants selected using a convenience sampling method. The research utilized various assessment tools, including the Grief Experience Questionnaire, Perception of Social Interactions Inventory, Young Schema Questionnaire, and Existential Anxiety Questionnaire. The data analysis involved conducting descriptive statistics in SPSS software (version 27), and examining path coefficients between variables in SmartPLS version 4.
 
Results: The study results demonstrated that having an abandonment schema significantly and positively impacted the experience of complicated bereavement (β=0.375, P<0.001). Conversely, the influence of existential anxiety on complicated bereavement was not significant (β=0.150, P=0.076). Negative thoughts had no significant impact on complicated bereavement (β=0.108, P=0.102).
 
Conclusion: The results of the present research suggest that maintaining optimistic thoughts can decrease the severity of complicated grief, whereas experiencing feelings of desertion, existential worry, and pessimistic thoughts can worsen complicated grief.

Keywords

Acknowledgments: The authors express their gratitude to the participants for their support and significant contribution to the success of this research.

 

Availability of data and materials: "Accessible upon request from the corresponding author at the time of submission or following publication."

 

Conflicts of interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

 

Consent for publication: Not applicable.

 

Ethics approval and consent to participate: The ethical guidelines outlined by Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services with the code IR.MUI.REC.1402.242 were adhered to during the research involving human subjects. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration.

 

Financial disclosure: This research study did not receive funding from any external sources.

 

Author contributions: M.S.M: Contributed to the conception of the work, revising the draft, approving the final version of the manuscript, and agreeing on all aspects of the work; N.A.: Contributed to the data analysis and interpretation, critical revision, and approval of the final version of the manuscript; M.S.M.: Contributed to acquiring data, drafting the manuscript, and approving the final version; M.S.M. and N.A.: Contributed to the conception and design of the study, critical revision, and approval of the manuscript's final version; N.A.: Contributed to the conception and design of the study, data interpretation, drafting of the manuscript and critical revision, and approval of final version.

 

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Razavi International Journal of Medicine
Volume 13, Issue 1
special issue; Psychology in Health
March 2025
Pages 89-99

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