Journal Article

Dynamic networks of prolonged grief symptoms in daily life

Franzen, Minita, Lenferink, Lonneke I.M., Pociūnaitė-Ott, Justina, Greene, Talya, Simões, Jorge Piano

2026

Overview

According to network theories, mental disorders, including prolonged grief disorder (PGD), comprise networks of dynamically connected symptoms. Examining how prolonged grief symptoms are connected over time could reveal the patterns driving their persistence. This study provides the first empirical investigation of prolonged grief symptom networks using self-reported data on prolonged grief assessed multiple times daily. Adults whose partner, family member, or friend died on average 30 months ago (N = 229, 80 % women, Mage = 51) rated prolonged grief symptom intensity using 11 items (e.g., “In the past three hours, I found myself yearning for him/her”) five times per day for two weeks. We used a two-step multilevel vector autoregressive model to produce between-person, contemporaneous, and temporal networks. In the between-person network, yearning and sadness were the most strongly and positively connected symptoms. In the contemporaneous network, yearning, preoccupation, and sadness formed a cluster of positively connected symptoms. Simultaneously, difficulty reintegrating after the loss, emotional numbness, meaninglessness, and loneliness due to the loss formed another positively connected symptom cluster. In the temporal network, emotional numbness had the greatest positive influence on other prolonged grief symptoms at the subsequent timepoint. We propose that targeting emotional suppression, promoting flexible emotion regulation, and supporting integrated continuing bonds (approach-behaviors) and targeting avoidance of the reality of the loss (avoidance-behaviors) may help people to adapt to loss. •First study to examine dynamic interactions among prolonged grief (PG) symptoms.•Emotional numbness emerged as a central symptom in the temporal network.•People can yearn for the deceased while avoiding facing the reality of the loss.•PG symptoms are different in their between-person, within time points, and temporal connections.

• Publisher: Elsevier Inc,Elsevier Limited,Elsevier
• Subject: Adult / Archives & records / Dynamic networks / Ecological momentary assessment / Experience sampling methodology / FAIR data / Female / Grief / Humans / Loneliness / Male / Mental disorders / Middle Aged / Post traumatic stress disorder / Prolonged grief / Prolonged Grief Disorder - psychology / Psychiatric/Mental Health / Psychopathology / Suicidal behavior / Suicidal ideation / Suicides & suicide attempts