Faculty Collaboration Database

Neuropsychological correlates of early grief in bereaved older adults. Int Psychogeriatr 2024 Nov;36(11):1064-1069

Date

03/11/2024

Pubmed ID

38462965

Pubmed Central ID

PMC11387951

DOI

10.1017/S1041610224000048

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85187712212 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)

Abstract

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is associated with impairments in cognitive functioning, but the neuropsychological correlates of early grief in older adults are poorly understood. This preliminary study cross-sectionally examined neuropsychological functioning in bereaved adults with high and low grief symptoms and a non-bereaved comparison sample and further explored the relationship between multidomain cognitive measures and grief severity. A total of ninety-three nondemented older adults (high grief: n = 44; low grief: n = 49) within 12 months post-bereavement and non-bereaved comparison participants (n = 43) completed neuropsychological battery including global and multiple domain-specific cognitive functioning. Linear regression models were used to analyze differences in multidomain cognitive measures between the groups and specifically examine the associations between cognitive performance and grief severity in the bereaved, after covariate adjustment, including depressive symptoms. Bereaved older adults with higher grief symptoms performed worse than those with lower symptoms and non-bereaved participants on executive functioning and attention and processing speed measures. In the bereaved, poorer executive functioning, attention and processing speed correlated with higher grief severity. Attention/processing speed-grief severity correlation was seen in those with time since loss ≤ 6 months, but not > 6 months. Intense early grief is characterised by poorer executive functioning, attention, and processing speed, resembling findings in PGD. The putative role of poorer cognitive functioning during early grief on the transition to integrated grief or the development of PGD remains to be elucidated.

Author List

Hoffmann BM, Blair NP, McAuliffe TL, Hwang G, Larson E, Claesges SA, Webber A, Reynolds CF 3rd, Goveas JS

Authors

Joseph S. Goveas MD Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Gyujoon Hwang PhD Assistant Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Timothy L. McAuliffe PhD Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Attention
Bereavement
Cognition
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression
Executive Function
Female
Grief
Humans
Linear Models
Male
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests