Background. This study examined the association between a diagnosis of traumatic grief and
quality of life outcomes.
Method. Sixty-seven widowed persons were interviewed at a median of 4 months after their loss.
The multiple regression procedure was used to estimate the effects of a traumatic grief diagnosis on
eight quality of life domains, controlling for age, sex, time from loss and diagnoses of major
depressive episode and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Results. A positive traumatic grief diagnosis was significantly associated with lower social
functioning scores, worse mental health scores, and lower energy levels than a negative traumatic
grief diagnosis. In each of these domains, traumatic grief was found to be a better predictor of lower
scores than either major depressive episode or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Conclusions. The results suggest that a traumatic grief diagnosis is significantly associated with
quality of life impairments. These findings provide evidence supporting the criterion validity of the
proposed consensus criteria and the newly developed diagnostic interview for traumatic grief – the
Traumatic Grief Evaluation of Response to Loss (TRGR2L).