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Affect dynamics, bereavement and resilience to loss

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Abstract

This investigation applied Zautra and colleagues’ Dynamic Model of Affect (DMA; Zautra: 2003, Emotions, Stress and Health (Oxford University Press, New York); Reich et al.: 2003, Review of General Psychology 7(1), pp. 66–83) to help understand resilience among a sample of middle-aged participants coping with the recent death of a spouse or child. We replicated and extended this model by examining interaffect correlations (individual correlations between negative and positive affect over time) in resilient versus symptomatic bereaved people. As predicted by the DMA, resilient bereaved had weaker (or less negative) interaffect correlations than symptomatic bereaved even when controlling for self-reported distress. These findings suggest that resilient individuals possess a capacity for a more complex affective experience and that this capacity serves a salutary function in the aftermath of aversive life events.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, Box 218, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    Karin G. Coifman & George A. Bonanno

  2. Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Eshkol Rafaeli

Authors
  1. Karin G. Coifman
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  2. George A. Bonanno
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  3. Eshkol Rafaeli
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Correspondence to Karin G. Coifman.

Additional information

The research described in this article was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Health, R29-MH57274 (George A. Bonanno).

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Coifman, K.G., Bonanno, G.A. & Rafaeli, E. Affect dynamics, bereavement and resilience to loss. J Happiness Stud 8, 371–392 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9014-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9014-5

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