ABSTRACT

Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for one’s past, can serve as a resource for individuals coping with discomforting experiences. The experience of bereavement poses psychological and physical risks. In a longitudinal study, we examined whether dispositional nostalgia predicted reductions in distress associated with the death of a loved one. Undergraduate students (N = 133) provided information regarding their loss (time elapsed since loss, expectedness) and levels of initial grief, nostalgia, and distress (hyperarousal, intrusion, avoidance) at three time points over a one-month period (Times 2 and 3 occurred one week and one month after the initial session, respectively). Individuals experiencing higher nostalgia reported a decrease in intrusive thoughts across time, whereas those experiencing lower nostalgia reported no change in intrusive thoughts across time. Hyperarousal (physical symptoms, negative feelings) decreased across time among individuals with higher initial grief who experienced greater nostalgia, but increased across time among those with higher initial grief who experienced lesser nostalgia. No changes occurred in avoidance. Nostalgia can palliate bereavement.

摘要

怀旧，一种对过去的感伤渴望，可以作为个人应对不舒服经历的资源。丧亲之痛会带来心理和生理风险。在一项纵向研究中，我们检查了性格怀旧是否可以预测与亲人死亡相关的痛苦减少。本科生（N = 133) 提供了关于他们在一个月内的三个时间点（第 2 次和第 3 次发生在一个分别在第一次会议后一周和一个月）。经历较高怀旧的人报告说，随着时间的推移，侵入性思想减少，而经历较低怀旧的人报告说，随着时间的推移，侵入性思想没有变化。过度唤醒（身体症状、负面情绪）在初始悲伤程度高、怀旧情绪高的个体中随时间降低，但在初始悲伤程度高、怀旧程度低的个体中随着时间的推移而增加。回避没有发生变化。怀旧可以减轻丧亲之痛。