“Pathologising grief”: An exploration of public expectations and grieving norms

(i) Introduction According to DSM and ICD definitions, a pattern of functioning must deviate from norms to be considered disordered. There is, however, little understanding of current norms for appropriate grief reactions and when these may become disordered. (ii) Objectives We examined public norms and expectations of grief following bereavement and determined some factors that influence these norms. (iii) Approach An international sample of 348 participants was randomly allocated to 1 of 12 conditions comprising a bereavement vignette and self-report items of expectations of grief symptomatology, desired social distance, and opinions towards diagnosing grief. (iv)

Practice Implications The participants expected grief to decrease over time and altered their behavioural intentions based on the gender of the bereaved dependent on the circumstances of the death. The majority (75%) believed that some grief reactions are indicative of mental disorder. The main practice implication concerns the degree of alignment between public norms and diagnostic criteria for pathological forms of bereavement. (v)

Conclusions This study is the first to investigate diagnostic criteria for pathological grief according to cultural norms.