Correlates of public stigma towards prolonged grief disorder

Abstract

Background

Public stigma for grief may reduce the social support provided to bereaved persons and increase bereavement-related distress. The general public reports more stigmatizing responses towards bereaved persons with prolonged grief disorder (PGD) than towards persons experiencing non-clinical grief. No studies to date have investigated whether personal characteristics of the general public relate to public stigma towards PGD. The present study examined whether participants’ socio-demographic characteristics and personal bereavement experiences are associated with stigmatizing responses towards PGD.

Method

We combined data of three previously published vignette experiments to conduct a secondary analysis. All studies presented members of the general public (N = 452) with a description of a male bereaved person with PGD symptoms and a PGD diagnosis. Participants rated three indicators of public stigma - negative attributes (competence, warmth), emotional reactions (fear, anger), and preferred social distance. First, we examined whether gender, age, and educational level related to public stigma towards PGD. Second, we examined the association of participants’ personal bereavement experiences with public stigma.

Results

Regression analyses demonstrated that participants’ socio-demographic characteristics explained a significant amount of variance for warmth (ΔR² = .03; p < .05) and anger (ΔR² = .05; p < .01): Male participants rated the person in the vignette as less warm (β = -.13, p < .05). Being older related to lower ratings of warmth (β = -.12, p < .05) and higher ratings of anger (β = .18, p < .01). Participants’ educational level was not associated with stigma. Participants’ bereavement experiences explained a significant amount of variance for preferred social distance (ΔR² = .11; p <. 05): Participants reporting higher personal grief severity preferred less social distance from a person with PGD (β = -.29, p < .05). A higher number of experienced losses, the recency of the bereavement, and the cause of death (natural vs. unnatural) did not relate to public stigma.

Conclusions

Male and older persons are more likely to demonstrate public stigma towards PGD. Experiencing severe grief oneself is associated with less preferred social distance from a person with PGD. Anti-stigma interventions may advance the public's knowledge about grief and PGD and address specific target groups (men and older persons).