Prolonged Grief: An Investigation in the Frame of Separation Individuation Processes and Emotion Regulation Difficulties

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to investigate separation-individuation pathologies due to early childhood experiences and difficulties of emotion regulation as predictors of the prolonged grief symptoms. The sample of the study consisted of 212 participants who experienced loss: 123 female (%58) and 89 male (%42). The mean age of the sample was 26.26 (Sd = 7.55). Demographic Information Form, The Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG), Separation-Individuation Inventory (SII), and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation-Short Form (DERS-16) were used. The results of the correlation analysis showed that prolonged grief symptoms were positively associated with difficulties of emotion regulation and separation-individuation subscales. Besides, hierarchical regression analysis indicated that relationship problems and differentiation subscales of separation-individuation, and clarity dimension of emotion regulation difficulties were significant predictors of prolonged grief symptoms. The model’s explained variance was .30. Obtained results highlighted the importance of separation-individuation and emotion regulation processes in prolonged grief. This study examined prolonged grief from the perspective of Mahler’s (1974) separation-individuation theory and emotion regulation difficulties. Therefore, the results have unique contribution to the literature. Finally, the results pointed out to the importance of clinical interventions targeting separation-individuation and emotion regulation processes due to early life experiences in understanding prolonged grief symptoms.

Keywords

• Prolonged grief
• complicated grief
• separation-individuation
• emotion regulation difficulties

Uzamış Yas: Ayrılma-Bireyleşme Süreçleri ve Duygu Düzenleme Güçlüğü Temelinde Bir İnceleme

Abstract

Çalışmanın amacı, erken çocukluk dönemine dayanan ayrılma-bireyleşme süreçlerindeki problemlerin ve duygu düzenleme güçlüklerinin uzamış yas belirtilerini ne ölçüde yordadığının belirlenmesidir. Çalışmanın örneklemi 123 (%58) kadın, 89 (%42) erkek olmak üzere yaş ortalaması 26.26 (S = 7.55) olan 212 kayıp yaşamış katılımcıdan oluşmaktadır. Veri toplama amacıyla, Kişisel Bilgi Formu, Karmaşık Yas Envanteri (KYE), Ayrılma-Bireyleşme Envanteri (ABE) ve Duygu Düzenleme Güçlüğü Ölçeği-Kısa Form (DDGÖ-16) kullanılmıştır. Korelasyon analizi sonucunda uzamış yas belirtilerinin ayrılma bireyleşme envanteri ve duygu düzenleme güçlüğü ölçeği arasında pozitif yönde ilişkiler olduğu görülmüştür. Araştırmanın temel amacı doğrultusunda yürütülen hiyerarşik regresyon analizi sonucuna göre ise uzamış yas belirtilerini ayrılma-bireyleşme farklılaşma ve ilişki problemleri ile duygu düzenleme güçlüğü açıklık alt boyutunun pozitif yönde yordadığı görülmüştür. Son modelde açıklanan toplam varyans %30 olmuştur. Bulgular uzamış yasta ayrılma-bireyleşme ve duygu düzenleme süreçlerinin önemini ortaya koyan ampirik veriler sunmaktadır. Aynı zamanda mevcut çalışma ile M. Mahler’in (1974) ayrılma bireyleşme kuramı ve duygu düzenleme güçlükleri temelinde uzamış yas belirtilerini inceleyerek özgün bulgulara ulaşıldığı düşünülmektedir. Elde edilen sonuçlar uzamış yas belirtilerinde erken dönem yaşantılardan temel alan ayrışma, bireyleşme, ilişki süreçleri, duygu düzenleme süreçlere yapılacak klinik müdahalelerin önemine de işaret etmektedir.

Keywords

• Uzamış yas
• Karmaşık Yas
• Ayrılma Bireyleşme
• Duygu düzenleme güçlüğü

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