Ten years of research have revealed disturbing data. Scientists: it increases the risk of death by 88 percent.
Numerous previous studies have linked grief to health problems, such as high blood pressure . However, most of these studies have only followed bereaved individuals for a few years after their loss.
Mette Kjærgaard Nielsen of Aarhus University in Denmark and her colleagues examined the relationship between grief and mortality, including data collected even after 10 years .
The authors used a national registry to obtain information on people treated for terminal illness. They then recruited more than 1,700 close relatives, such as parents or partners, to complete a series of surveys—conducted before the person's death, six months, and three years afterward. The relatives—who were on average 62 years old—were asked questions such as whether they tried to avoid reminders of their loved one's illness or death.
As it turned out, 670 loved ones consistently experienced low levels of grief after the death , for example, feeling slightly confused about their role in life, while 107 of them consistently experienced high levels of grief . The remaining participants experienced either lapsed grief or delayed grief, which occurred some time after the loss.
The researchers then analyzed the medical records of loved ones 10 years after their loss. The death rate in the high-grief group was 88% higher than in the low-grief group.
This suggests that people who experience long periods of intense grief following the death of a loved one appear to have a higher risk of death within the next decade than those who come to terms with the loss more easily .
These findings support the idea that prolonged, intense grief stresses the body, leading to earlier death. It may also lead to lifestyle changes, as grieving individuals are more likely to skip meals or be inactive.
Only 17% of loved ones had been diagnosed with a disease at the beginning of the study, but Nielsen says this was more common among those in the high-grief group. The higher rates of comorbidities may partially explain why members of this group were more likely to die during the follow-up period. It's also possible that poor health exacerbates grief.
According to the authors, providing additional support to people experiencing deep, prolonged grief – regardless of whether they themselves suffer from an illness – can save their lives.
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