The role of experiential avoidance in the relationship between traumatic distress and yearning in sudden and unexpected bereavement

Background: Distressing preoccupation with the circumstances of the death, experiential avoidance, and yearning often manifest in pathological forms of grief following the sudden or unexpected death of a loved one. Traumatic distress—the emotional distress linked to circumstances or reminders of a death—often leads to avoidance behaviors, whereas yearning has been conceptualized as an emotional state which leads to proximity-seeking behaviors following bereavement. A gap exists in the literature explaining how these variables may interact and perpetuate one another. Aims: The present study aims to examine the role of experiential avoidance in the relationship between traumatic distress and yearning in a sample of suddenly and unexpectedly bereaved young adults. Results suggest that the association between traumatic distress and yearning may be partially mediated by experiential avoidance. Implications of these findings for theoretical models of grief and yearning are discussed. Materials & Methods: Data include a sample of 606 bereaved young adults (Mage = 21.25; 77.4% female) who participated in a larger, online survey study conducted at two universities in the United States exploring the prevalence of trauma exposure in college students. Results: Mediation analysis demonstrated experiential avoidance as partially mediating the relationship between traumatic distress and yearning (ab =.21, SE =.10, 95% CI [.02,.40]) when controlling for presence at the scene of death or injury. This indirect effect accounted for 11.67% of the total effect. An additional moderated mediation analysis indicated this indirect effect was present across all levels of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) symptom severity. Discussion: Results indicate that the association between traumatic distress and yearning may be partially mediated by experiential avoidance across all levels of PGD symptom severity. Conclusion: Findings suggest that bereaved individuals experiencing recurrent, death-related intrusive thoughts, imagery, and/or other memories related to the circumstances of the death may be more likely to experience intense yearning for the deceased in part due to attempts to avoid painful internal experiences associated with such cues.