How Do Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Traits Contribute to Prolonged Grief?
A Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22426082 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Emrah Keser (0000-0003-0830-2970, TED University, corresponding author), Gizem Atak (0000-0001-7753-5888, TED University), Paul A Boelen (0000-0003-4125-4739, Utrecht University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-23 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-07 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Loss and Trauma (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1532-5024 • E-ISSN: 1532-5032 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15325024.2026.2666415 |
| OpenAlex | W7160553014 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 61 |
Obsessive–compulsive personality traits, as described in the DSM, include preoccupation with details, perfectionism, workaholism, over-conscientiousness, hoarding tendencies, reluctance to delegate, a miserly spending style, rigidity, and stubbornness. These traits are also known to be closely associated with emotional suppression, resistance to change, and an excessive need for control. Grief involves navigating intense emotions, restructuring the future, and adapting to changes in interpersonal roles and responsibilities. In this context, the present study aimed to test a theoretical model examining the relationships between obsessive-compulsive personality traits and negative grief-related cognitions, avoidance, a sense of unrealness, and prolonged grief disorder symptoms. The sample consisted of 486 adult participants who had lost loved ones in the last five years. Participants completed a survey battery consisting of the Pathological Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Scale, the Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale, the Grief Cognitions Questionnaire, the Depressive and Anxious Avoidance in Prolonged Grief Questionnaire, and the Experienced Unrealness Scale. Structural equation modeling tested the fit of the hypothesized theoretical model. The results supported the model, in which obsessive-compulsive personality traits were directly associated with anxious avoidance, negative grief-related cognitions, and a sense of unrealness, each of which was, in turn, associated with increased prolonged grief. All paths in the model were statistically significant. Findings suggest that higher levels of obsessive-compulsive personality traits are associated with increased avoidance of grief reminders, more negative grief-related cognitions, and difficulty in facing the reality of the loss, which are in turn associated with higher levels of prolonged grief.
Alternative five model of personality · Big Five personality traits · Neuroticism · Personality · Forgiveness and Related Behaviors · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Structural Equation Modeling With Amos, EQS, and Lisrel
The varieties of grief experience
Regulatory Flexibility
History and Status of Prolonged Grief Disorder as a Psychiatric Diagnosis
Validation of the new DSM‐5‐TR criteria for prolonged grief disorder and the PG‐13‐Revised ( PG‐13‐R ) scale
A Cognitive-Behavioral Conceptualization of Complicated Grief.
To Parcel or Not to Parcel
Personality and Self‐Regulation
Individual differences in revising the life story—Personality and event characteristics influence change in the autobiographical meaning of life events
Testing the cognitive-behavioral model of prolonged grief disorder (PGD)
Psychometric Characteristics of the Oxford Grief Memory Characteristics Scale and Its Relationship With Symptoms of ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR Prolonged Grief Disorder
Perfectionism and Perceived Control in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms
The Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement
An Integrative Model of Personality, Coping and Appraisal for the Prediction of Grief Involvement in Adults
An Investigation of the Relationship of Personality, Coping, and Grief Intensity Among Bereaved Mothers
Prolonged grief, emotion regulation and loss-related factors
Death rituals, religious beliefs, and grief of Turkish women
Perceptions of internal and external continuing bonds in bereaved individuals with and without prolonged grief disorder
The Dual Process Model of Coping With Bereavement
Five-factor model in bereaved adults with and without complicated grief
Tests for Structural Equation Models
| Highly cited | No |
|---|