The impact of bereaved parents' perceived grief similarity on relationship satisfaction

Journal of Family Psychology

Volumn 31, Issue 4, 2017, Pages 409-419

  Buyukcan Tetik, Asuman ^a   Finkenauer, Catrin ^b,c   Schut, Henk ^b   Stroebe, Margaret ^b,d   Stroebe, Wolfgang ^b,d  

^a SABANCI UNIVERSITY   (Turkey)

^b UTRECHT UNIVERSITY   (Netherlands)

^c UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM   (Netherlands)

^d UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN   (Netherlands)

Author keywords

Bereaved parents; Comparison; Grief; Perceived similarity; Relationship satisfaction

Indexed keywords

ADULT; CHILD; CONFOUNDING VARIABLE; FEMALE; GENDER; GRIEF; HETEROSEXUALITY; HUMAN; HUMAN EXPERIMENT; LONGITUDINAL STUDY; MALE; PERCEPTION; PSYCINFO; QUESTIONNAIRE; SATISFACTION; ADOLESCENT; CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY; INFANT; MIDDLE AGED; NEWBORN; PARENT; PRESCHOOL CHILD; PSYCHOLOGY; SPOUSE; YOUNG ADULT;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; CHILD; CHILD, PRESCHOOL; CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES; FEMALE; GRIEF; HUMANS; INFANT; INFANT, NEWBORN; LONGITUDINAL STUDIES; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; PARENTS; PERSONAL SATISFACTION; SOCIAL PERCEPTION; SPOUSES; YOUNG ADULT;

EID: 84990955196     PISSN: 08933200     EISSN: 19391293     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1037/fam0000252     Document Type: Article

References (60)

1. Acitelli, L. K., Douvan, E., & Veroff, J. (1993). Perceptions of conflict in the first year of marriage: How important are similarity and understanding? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 10, 5-19. http://dx .doi.org/10.1177/0265407593101001
2. Albuquerque, S., Pereira, M., & Narciso, I. (2016). Couple's relationship after the death of a child: A systematic review. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25, 30 -53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015- 0219-2
3. Anderson, C., Keltner, D., & John, O. P. (2003). Emotional convergence between people over time. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1054-1068. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.5.1054
4. Atkins, D. C. (2005). Using multilevel models to analyze couple and family treatment data: Basic and advanced issues. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 98-110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.19.1.98
5. Baumeister, R. F., Stillwell, A. M., & Heatherton, T. F. (1994). Guilt: An interpersonal approach. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 243-267. http://dx .doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.115.2.243
6. Bell, B. (1993). Emotional loneliness and the perceived similarity of one's ideas and interests. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality, 8, 273- 280.
7. Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist, 59, 20-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ 0003-066X.59.1.20
8. Bonanno, G. A., Wortman, C. B., Lehman, D. R., Tweed, R. G., Haring, M., Sonnega, J.,. . Nesse, R. M. (2002). Resilience to loss and chronic grief: A prospective study from preloss to 18-months postloss. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 1150-1164. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1037/0022-3514.83.5.1150
9. Buunk, B. P. (1994). Social comparison processes under stress: Towards an integration of classic and recent perspectives. European Review of Social Psychology, 5, 211-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14792779543000066
10. Buunk, B. P., & Nijskens, J. (1980). Communicatie en satisfactie in intieme relaties. Gedrag, Tijdschrift voor Psychologie, 8, 240-260.
11. Cacioppo, J. T., & Cacioppo, S. (2014). Social relationships and health: The toxic effects of perceived social isolation. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8, 58-72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12087
12. Chow, C. M., Buhrmester, D., & Tan, C. C. (2014). Interpersonal coping styles and couple relationship quality: Similarity versus complementarity hypotheses. European Journal of Social Psychology, 44, 175-186. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2000
13. Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. New York, NY: Routledge.
14. Cook, J. A. (1988). Dad's double binds: Rethinking fathers' bereavement from a men's studies perspective. Perspective Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 17, 285-308. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/089124188017003003
15. Dijkstra, I. C., Schut, H., Stroebe, M., Stroebe, W., & van den Bout, J. (2000). Inventory of Complicated Grief, Dutch translation. In I. C. Dijkstra (Ed.), Living with loss: Parents grieving for the death of their child (pp. 233-237). Enschede, the Netherlands: Febodruk.
16. Epley, N., & Dunning, D. (2006). The mixed blessings of self-knowledge in behavioral prediction: Enhanced discrimination but exacerbated bias. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 641-655. http://dx.doi .org/10.1177/0146167205284007
17. Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117-140. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001872675400700202
18. Fish, W. C. (1986). Differences of grief intensity in bereaved parents. In T. A. Rando (Ed.), Parental loss of a child (pp. 415-428). Champaign, IL: Research Press.
19. Fletcher, G. J., & Kerr, P. S. (2010). Through the eyes of love: Reality and illusion in intimate relationships. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 627-658. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0019792
20. Fraley, R. C., & Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Attachment and loss: A test of three competing models on the association between attachmentrelated avoidance and adaptation to bereavement. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 878 - 890. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/ 0146167204264289
21. Gagné, F. M., & Lydon, J. E. (2004). Bias and accuracy in close relationships: An integrative review. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8, 322-338. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr0804_1
22. Gilbert, D. T., Giesler, R. B., & Morris, K. A. (1995). When comparisons arise. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 227-236. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.2.227
23. Gilbert, K. R. (1996). "We've had the same loss, why don't we have the same grief?" Loss and differential grief in families. Death Studies, 20, 269-283. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07481189608252781
24. Gleason, M. E., Iida, M., Bolger, N., & Shrout, P. E. (2003). Daily supportive equity in close relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 1036 -1045. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/ 0146167203253473
25. Gonzaga, G. C., Campos, B., & Bradbury, T. (2007). Similarity, convergence, and relationship satisfaction in dating and married couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93, 34-48. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1037/0022-3514.93.1.34
26. Gottlieb, L. N., Lang, A., & Amsel, R. (1996). The long-term effects of grief on marital intimacy following an infant's death. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 33, 1-19. http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/T2C9-FKLK- 0R4F-2VMB
27. Hoffman, L., & Stawski, R. S. (2009). Persons as contexts: Evaluating between-person and within-person effects in longitudinal analysis. Research in Human Development, 6, 97-120. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/ 15427600902911189
28. Hox, J. J. (2010). Multilevel analysis: Techniques and applications (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
29. Kissane, D. W., & Parnes, F. (Eds.). (2014). Bereavement care for families. New York, NY: Routledge.
30. Kowalski, R. M. (Ed.). (2001). Behaving badly: Aversive behaviors in interpersonal relationships. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
31. Lang, A., & Gottlieb, L. (1993). Parental grief reactions and marital intimacy following infant death. Death Studies, 17, 233-255. http://dx .doi.org/10.1080/07481189308252620
32. Li, J., Precht, D. H., Mortensen, P. B., & Olsen, J. (2003). Mortality in parents after death of a child in Denmark: A nationwide follow-up study. The Lancet, 361, 363-367. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140- 6736(03)12387-2
33. Locke, K. D., & Horowitz, L. M. (1990). Satisfaction in interpersonal interactions as a function of similarity in level of dysphoria. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 823-831. http://dx.doi.org/10 .1037/0022-3514.58.5.823
34. Luo, S., & Klohnen, E. C. (2005). Assortative mating and marital quality in newlyweds: A couple-centered approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 304-326. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514 .88.2.304
35. Luo, Y., Hawkley, L. C., Waite, L. J., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2012). Loneliness, health, and mortality in old age: A national longitudinal study. Social Science & Medicine, 74, 907-914. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j .socscimed.2011.11.028
36. Lutz-Zois, C. J., Bradley, A. C., Mihalik, J. L., & Moorman-Eavers, E. R. (2006). Perceived similarity and relationship success among dating couples: An idiographic approach. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 23, 865- 880. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/ 0265407506068267
37. Lyngstad, T. H. (2013). Bereavement and divorce: Does the death of a child affect parents' marital stability? Family Science, 4, 79-86. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1080/19424620.2013.821762
38. Murray, S. L., Holmes, J. G., Bellavia, G., Griffin, D. W., & Dolderman, D. (2002). Kindred spirits? The benefits of egocentrism in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 563-581. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.82.4.563
39. Murray, S. L., Holmes, J. G., & Griffin, D. W. (1996). The benefits of positive illusions: Idealization and the construction of satisfaction in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 79-98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.70.1.79
40. Paykel, E. S., Prusoff, B. A., & Uhlenhuth, E. H. (1971). Scaling of life events. Archives of General Psychiatry, 25, 340-347. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1001/archpsyc.1971.01750160052010
41. Pinkus, R. T., Lockwood, P., Schimmack, U., & Fournier, M. A. (2008). For better and for worse: Everyday social comparisons between romantic partners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 1180- 1201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.5.1180
42. Pollmann, M. M., & Finkenauer, C. (2009). Investigating the role of two types of understanding in relationship well-being: Understanding is more important than knowledge. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 1512-1527. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167209342754
43. Prigerson, H. G., Maciejewski, P. K., Reynolds, C. F., III, Bierhals, A. J., Newsom, J. T., Fasiczka, A.,. . Miller, M. (1995). Inventory of Complicated Grief: A scale to measure maladaptive symptoms of loss. Psychiatry Research, 59, 65-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0165- 1781(95)02757-2
44. Rubin, S. S. (1993). The death of a child is forever: The life course impact of child loss. In M. S. Stroebe, W. Stroebe, & R. O. Hansson (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement: Theory, research, and intervention (pp. 285-299). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi .org/10.1017/CBO9780511664076.020
45. Schachter, S. (1959). The psychology of affiliation: Experimental studies of the sources of gregariousness. Redwood City, CA: Stanford University Press.
46. Shuchter, S. R., & Zisook, S. (1993). The course of normal grief. In M. S. Stroebe, W. Stroebe, & R. O. Hansson (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement: Theory, research, and intervention (pp. 23-43). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/ CBO9780511664076.003
47. Song, J., Floyd, F. J., Seltzer, M. M., Greenberg, J. S., & Hong, J. (2010). Long-term effects of child death on parents' health related quality of life: A dyadic analysis. Family Relations: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 59, 269-282. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741- 3729.2010.00601.x
48. Sprecher, S. (1986). The relation between inequity and emotions in close relationships. Social Psychology Quarterly, 49, 309-321. http://dx.doi .org/10.2307/2786770
49. Stroebe, M. (2010). Bereavement in family context: Coping with the loss of a loved one. Family Science, 1, 144-151. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/ 19424620.2010.576081
50. Stroebe, M., Finkenauer, C., Wijngaards-de Meij, L., Schut, H., van den Bout, J., & Stroebe, W. (2013). Partner-oriented self-regulation among bereaved parents: The costs of holding in grief for the partner's sake. Psychological Science, 24, 395- 402. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/ 0956797612457383
51. Stroebe, M., Schut, H., & Finkenauer, C. (2013). Parents coping with the death of their child: From individual to interpersonal to interactive perspectives. Family Science, 4, 28 -36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/ 19424620.2013.819229
52. Stroebe, M., Stroebe, W., & Schut, H. (2001). Gender differences in adjustment to bereavement: An empirical and theoretical review. Review of General Psychology, 5, 62-83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680 .5.1.62
53. Taylor, S. E., & Lobel, M. (1989). Social comparison activity under threat: Downward evaluation and upward contacts. Psychological Review, 96, 569-575. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.96.4.569
54. Townsend, S. S., Kim, H. S., & Mesquita, B. (2014). Are you feeling what I'm feeling? Emotional similarity buffers stress. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5, 526 -533. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/ 1948550613511499
55. Vance, J. C., Boyle, F. M., Najman, J. M., & Thearle, M. J. (2002). Couple distress after sudden infant or perinatal death: A 30-month follow up. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 38, 368-372. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1046/j.1440-1754.2002.00008.x
56. Wijngaards-de Meij, L., Stroebe, M., Schut, H., Stroebe, W., van den Bout, J., van der Heijden, P., & Dijkstra, I. (2005). Couples at risk following the death of their child: Predictors of grief versus depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 617-623. http://dx.doi.org/10 .1037/0022-006X.73.4.617
57. Wijngaards-de Meij, L., Stroebe, M., Schut, H., Stroebe, W., van den Bout, J., van der Heijden, P. G. M., & Dijkstra, I. (2008). Parents grieving the loss of their child: Interdependence in coping. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 47, 31-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1348/014466507X216152
58. Winegard, B. M., Reynolds, T., Baumeister, R. F., Winegard, B., & Maner, J. K. (2014). Grief functions as an honest indicator of commitment. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18, 168-186. http://dx.doi .org/10.1177/1088868314521016
59. Wing, D. G., Burge-Callaway, K., Rose Clance, P., & Armistead, L. (2001). Understanding gender differences in bereavement following the death of an infant: Implications of or treatment. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 38, 60-73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ 0033-3204.38.1.60
60. Ybema, J. F., Kuijer, R. G., Hagedoorn, M., & Buunk, B. P. (2002). Caregiver burnout among intimate partners of patients with a severe illness: An equity perspective. Personal Relationships, 9, 73-88. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1111/1475-6811.00005