Prolonged Grief Disorder, Depression and Sense of Coherence in College Students

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Master's degree, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Zanjan University, Zanjan, Iran.

2 Master's degree, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objective: Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) has been introduced as a new disorder in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is characterized by the main symptoms of intense longing and rumination about the deceased person and emotional pain, impairment in daily functioning. Research has shown that depression is one of the strongest clinical predictors of grief. A sense of coherence is one of the factors that can play an effective role in the management and experience of grief. The present study investigated the relationship between sense of coherence, depression, and prolonged grief among university students.

Method: This research employed a descriptive-correlational design. A total of 113 students from Zanjan Province were selected in 2021 using a convenience and purposive sampling method. Participants completed the Sense of Coherence Scale (1993), the Grief Experience Questionnaire (1998), and the Beck Depression Inventory (1996). Data were analyzed in SPSS22 software using Pearson correlation and regression methods.

Findings: The results of this study indicated that depression was significantly and positively correlated with prolonged grief (r = 0.75, p < 0.001), while sense of coherence was significantly and negatively correlated with prolonged grief (r = -0.55, p < 0.001). Additionally, a significant negative correlation was found between sense of coherence and depression (r = -0.27, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The findings also revealed that the variables of depressive disorder and sense of coherence could jointly explain 83% of the variance in prolonged grief disorder. It appears that the level of sense of coherence plays a significant role in navigating the mourning process and in either preventing or contributing to the development of prolonged grief disorder. Accordingly, a low sense of coherence is associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing prolonged grief disorder.

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Journal of Rehabilitation Counseling
Volume 1, Issue 2
July 2025
Pages 124-136

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 June 2025
  • Revise Date: 24 July 2025
  • Accept Date: 01 August 2025
  • Publish Date: 23 August 2025

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