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Psychosomatic Research Center and Department of Psychiatry, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Abstract: (1 Views)
Background and Objective: Although PGD has primarily been conceptualized as a mental health condition, increasing evidence indicates associations with sleep disturbance, somatic symptoms, physical illness, and impaired health-related functioning. This narrative review examines PGD from a psychosomatic perspective, integrating attachment processes, psychological mechanisms, physical health, and implications for clinical assessment and treatment.
Materials and Methods: This narrative review synthesizes contemporary literature on PGD, bereavement, attachment, psychological mechanisms, physical and somatic health, and psychological interventions. Diagnostic frameworks, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized clinical trials were considered, with particular emphasis on evidence addressing the relationship between prolonged grief and physical health.
Results: Although PGD is recognized as a distinct diagnostic category, its symptoms overlap with major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, and differential diagnosis requires careful assessment. This is particularly relevant in later life, where grief occurs in the context of age-related biopsychosocial and physical-health factors [1,2,22]. Attachment insecurity, maladaptive cognitions, rumination, avoidance, disrupted meaning, and difficulties restoring life roles may contribute to persistent grief. Emerging evidence indicates associations between PGD and somatic symptom distress, insomnia, blood pressure, chronic physical illness, and poorer physical health. Grief-focused psychological interventions, particularly cognitive behavioral approaches, have substantial empirical support, although comparative effectiveness and treatment response may depend on the maintaining processes present in individual patients.
Conclusion: PGD should be understood within a biopsychosocial framework in which attachment, psychological processes, behavior, social functioning, sleep, and physical health interact dynamically. A psychosomatic approach can improve recognition of PGD in medical settings while reducing the risk of either overlooking genuine physical disease or reducing unexplained symptoms to purely psychological causes. Future longitudinal and culturally diverse research should clarify the mechanisms linking PGD with physical health and identify more individualized treatment strategies.
Materials and Methods: This narrative review synthesizes contemporary literature on PGD, bereavement, attachment, psychological mechanisms, physical and somatic health, and psychological interventions. Diagnostic frameworks, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized clinical trials were considered, with particular emphasis on evidence addressing the relationship between prolonged grief and physical health.
Results: Although PGD is recognized as a distinct diagnostic category, its symptoms overlap with major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, and differential diagnosis requires careful assessment. This is particularly relevant in later life, where grief occurs in the context of age-related biopsychosocial and physical-health factors [1,2,22]. Attachment insecurity, maladaptive cognitions, rumination, avoidance, disrupted meaning, and difficulties restoring life roles may contribute to persistent grief. Emerging evidence indicates associations between PGD and somatic symptom distress, insomnia, blood pressure, chronic physical illness, and poorer physical health. Grief-focused psychological interventions, particularly cognitive behavioral approaches, have substantial empirical support, although comparative effectiveness and treatment response may depend on the maintaining processes present in individual patients.
Conclusion: PGD should be understood within a biopsychosocial framework in which attachment, psychological processes, behavior, social functioning, sleep, and physical health interact dynamically. A psychosomatic approach can improve recognition of PGD in medical settings while reducing the risk of either overlooking genuine physical disease or reducing unexplained symptoms to purely psychological causes. Future longitudinal and culturally diverse research should clarify the mechanisms linking PGD with physical health and identify more individualized treatment strategies.
Keywords: Prolonged grief disorder, bereavement, psychosomatic medicine, attachment, somatic symptoms, physical health, sleep, cognitive behavioral therapy
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Address: Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Moallem Square, Sari, Iran.
Journal Office Tel: +981134343407
Email: cpr
mazums.ac.ir
Publisher: Negah Institute for Social Research & Scientific Communication
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