Those who endure prolonged, intense grief following the loss of a loved one may face a significantly higher risk of mortality within the next decade.

Numerous studies have drawn connections between bereavement and health outcomes. I experienced increased blood pressure. However, many of these studies only monitored bereaved individuals for a few years after the loss. Andreas Merker, who was not part of the recent research conducted at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, noted this.

Now, Mette Kjærgaard Nielsen from the University of Aalborg in Denmark and her colleagues have investigated the link between grief and mortality ten years post-loss.

The researchers accessed the national registry to gather information on individuals receiving care for terminal illnesses. They recruited over 1,700 relatives of these patients, including parents and partners, and conducted a series of assessments before the patients’ deaths, as well as six months and three years afterward. These assessments included questions posed to their relatives, who averaged 62 years in age, about whether they felt they were trying to keep memories of the deceased person alive.

The research team found that 670 relatives continued experiencing low levels of grief after the loss, including feelings of confusion regarding their life roles. The others either rejected their grief or experienced delayed grief that surfaced some time after the loss.

The researchers then analyzed the medical records of these loved ones a decade after their loss. They discovered that the mortality rate in the high-grief group was 88% higher compared to the low-grief group.

“There’s a saying that bereavement is heartbreaking,” remarked Maercker. He indicated that the findings bolster the notion that long-term, profound grief can exert physical strain on the body, leading to premature death. Bereaved families may engage in lifestyle changes, such as skipping meals.

At the onset of the study, only 17% of the relatives were diagnosed with any medical condition. However, Nielsen noted that this occurrence was more prevalent among individuals in the high-grief group. The presence of pre-existing health conditions may, in part, explain the higher death rates observed during the follow-up period, while poor health can exacerbate feelings of grief, as Maercker highlighted.

Offering specialized support to those grappling with severe, long-term grief can potentially save lives, regardless of whether they have pre-existing health conditions or not.