Towards an integrated conceptualization of traumatic grief

Abstract

Recently, the diagnoses Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD) and prolonged grief disorder (PGD) have been included in DSM-5 and ICD-11, respectively. However, there is an ongoing discussion about which concepts and which criteria best describe the phenomenon of disturbed, complicated or traumatic grief. In this symposium, we will discuss several studies that offer different perspectives on the conceptualization of this condition. In the first presentation the difference in factor structure, prevalence and validity of disturbed grief in DSM-5 and ICD-11 will be discussed. Furthermore, the symposium covers presentations about the influence of culture on the nature and assessment of (disturbed) grief symptoms, symptoms predicting problematic grief trajectories and variables associated with alleviation of disturbed grief symptoms during traumatic grief-focused CBT for homicidally bereaved people. At the end, participants will be up-to-date on the recent scientific discussions about the conceptualization of traumatic grief.