Purpose in Life: A Moderator of Recovery from Bereavement

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Abstract
For those with relatively low purpose in life, the experience of bereavement may induce an existential crisis, particularly if the cause of death is suicide. To assess whether this happens in recent bereavement, 122 people (31% of those who received questionnaires) recently bereaved (mode < two years) completed scales measuring life purpose, life satisfaction, reasons for living, and social support. Multivariate analysis followed by univariate analysis indicated that purpose was associated with greater life satisfaction, stronger reasons for living, more social support, and less impact. Unexpectedly, those bereaved by suicide were not different from other cause of death groups on these measures. High purpose in life apparently can buffer the negative aspects of the bereavement experience, regardless of the cause of death.