Studies // Cited work
Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder in adult bereavement: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Lundorff, M., Holmgren, H., Zachariae, R., Farver-Vestergaard, I., & O'Connor, M. (2017). Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder in adult bereavement: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Level D Meta-analysis doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.01.030
What this study supports
Supports the claim that the pooled prevalence of prolonged grief disorder was 9.8% (95% CI 6.8 to 14.0) and higher with higher mean age. Pools observational prevalence studies with heterogeneous methods and high risk of external validity bias, so it is graded D.
- Who was studied
- 14 studies of non-psychiatric adults after non-violent bereavement.
- Design
- Meta-analysis
- Level of evidence
- Cross-sectional, observational, qualitative work and narrative reviews.
Claims that rest on it
Each claim states what the site asserts, at what strength, and with what caveat.
Clinical boundaryLevel CConfidence MODERATE
A minority of bereaved adults develop prolonged grief disorder, characterised by intense yearning and other symptoms persisting for months after a death with functional impairment (at least six months in the 2009 proposal and in ICD-11; at least 12 months for adults in DSM-5-TR); a meta-analysis of non-violent bereavement estimated a pooled prevalence of 9.8%. The criteria describe a clinical boundary for professionals, not a self-test.
- Scope
- Adults after bereavement; prevalence from studies of non-violent deaths.
- Caveat
- The 2009 criteria preceded the ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR definitions, which differ in the required duration; the prevalence studies were heterogeneous and of limited representativeness. Assessment requires a qualified professional.
Last reviewed · Review due · prolonged-grief-clinical-boundary