Dyadic daily examination of repetitive thought and well-being in bereaved parents

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/fam0001335

We aimed to investigate the bidirectional associations of repetitive thought (i.e., rumination, yearning) with individual (grief levels, depressive symptoms) and relational well-being in bereaved parents who lost their child during pregnancy, labor, or afterward. The Response Styles Theory posits a reciprocal link between repetitive thought and well-being. However, past studies provided mixed evidence for this claim for individual well-being, and no study has yet examined this claim for relational well-being. Moreover, reciprocal associations have not been investigated within dyads. In total, 483 Turkish bereaved parents (228 couples, 27 individuals) participated in a 7-day dyadic diary. We conducted Random Intercept Cross- Lagged Panel Model analyses. The study yielded limited evidence for the lagged daily effects in the whole sample: bereaved parents’ higher-than-usual rumination predicted lower relational well-being in the partner the next day, but no lagged link appeared for individual well-being. Yet, sensitivity analyses revealed that higher-than-usual rumination predicted increased grief and reduced relational well-being in the partners of people who are recently bereaved or have experienced pregnancy loss. At the between-person level, bereaved parents’ average repetitive thought was related to their own and their partner’s individual but not relational well-being. Findings indicate that bereaved parents’ interdependence in repetitive thought and well-being is more evident at the between-person level for individual well-being. Still, daily rumination is a risk factor for the partners’ relational well-being. Both the persistent repetitive thought and daily fluctuations in rumination and well-being should be considered in supporting bereaved parents during their joint experience.