Introduction

In the last chapter empirical evidence was presented to support the thesis that the experience of losing a partner increases the probability of mental and physical illness. Having thus established bereavement as a health risk factor, it is the aim of this chapter to identify those subgroups of bereaved individuals who suffer the most severe health detriments. There are practical as well as theoretical reasons for this type of analysis. On the practical side, the analysis of risk groups is probably the best way toward an early identification of individuals likely to need professional help, as there are few grief symptoms which could reliably be used as early signals of an impending pathological development. From a theoretical point of view, the analysis of risk factors plays an important role in developing and testing theoretical explanations of the health impact of bereavement. Since theories of bereavement identify a number of situational and/or personal characteristics likely to be associated with poor bereavement outcome, the study of these risk factors can be used as a method of testing such theoretical predictions. But even in the absence of specific hypotheses, empirical evidence that certain characteristics of the bereaved are associated with greater health risk is likely to stimulate theoretical speculation about mediating processes, which can then be pursued in further research.

One methodological caution should be added, however, before entering into the discussion of research on this topic.