(PS14-41) Prolonged Grief, Avoidance, and Maladaptive Cognitions Among Treatment Seeking Suicide-bereaved Loved Ones of Military Service Members

Survivors of suicide loss, including bereaved military family members, face unique challenges that differ from other types of death and are at increased risk of developing prolonged grief, a condition characterized by extenuating and severe symptoms of grief (Fisher et al., 2017; Young et al., 2022). Previous research reported that avoidance behavior and maladaptive cognition are contributing factors of prolonged grief (Baker et al., 2016; Skritskaya et al., 2020). The current study investigated whether self-reported symptoms of avoidance and maladaptive cognitions affect prolonged grief among treatment seeking bereaved loved ones of military members. A total of 145 suicide bereaved family members and partners of military service members who completed a 2-week grief and trauma focused intensive treatment program from April 2018-Feburary 2024 were included in the study. Participants were admitted to the program if they have been exposed to the details of suicide death, witnessed suicide, or discovered the body of their veteran family member and had probable diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder or prolonged grief. Most participants are female (90.8%), White (82.2%), and partners/spouses to a deceased veteran (57.3%) with a mean age 48.13 (SD = 12.08). Participants completed self-report measures including Inventory of Complicated Grief, Grief-Related Avoidance Questionnaire, and maladaptive cognitions (Typical Beliefs Questionnaire). Pearson’s correlation and multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted in R. Maladaptive cognitions (r = 0.77, p < 0.001) and avoidance (r = 0.43, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with prolonged grief symptoms. After adjusting for demographic covariates (gender, age, and race) and relationship to the deceased military veteran, maladaptive cognitions (B = 0.59, p < 0.01) and avoidance (B = 0.44, p < 0.01) were significant factors affecting grief symptom severity. Surprisingly, race was also a significant factor influencing grief symptoms (B = 2.01, p = 0.04). Our findings support previous literature that avoidance behavior and maladaptive cognitions are contributing factors of prolonged grief (Baker et al., 2016; Skritskaya et al., 2020). Findings suggest a specific need for clinicians to target avoidance and maladaptive cognitions when delivering bereavement treatments and interventions. Future research is necessary to further explore how racial differences among suicide-bereaved loved ones of military service members affect prolonged grief in a larger and diverse sample.