Pastime Activities, Social Connectedness, and Grief Resolution: A Brief Report Highlighting the Salience of Socializing for Grief Resolution Among Bereaved Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to examine the relationship between pastime activities (i.e., activity engagement), social connectedness with family and friends, and severity of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) symptoms across younger, middle-aged, and older adults.

METHODS

The participants (N=105) were bereaved individuals who participated in the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded Living Memory Home study to determine the risks and benefits of an online tool for bereavement adjustment.

RESULTS

Cross-sectional findings showed that engagement in pastime activities (e.g., travel, sports) was associated with greater social connectedness for older adults, and social connectedness was associated with lower PGD symptom severity. Engagement in pastime activities was associated with lower PGD symptom severity for middle-aged adults.

CONCLUSIONS

Results are consistent with the socioemotional selectivity theory and the microsociological theory of adjustment to loss and suggest that grief interventions should have age-specific strategies, encourage specific pastime activities, and promote feelings of social connectedness.