A recent study has emphasized the intense impact of sadness on individuals, which shows that after the death of a loved one, the grief can considerably increase the risk of death for a decade.
The study, published in the magazine Frontiers in Public Health, was carried out by researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark and followed for 10 years released released, which revealed alarming statistics associated with the intensity of the experienced sorrow, CNN reported.
The researchers have categorized participants in “low” and “high” mourning symptom groups. Their findings showed that 26.5% of those with high mourning symptoms – characterized by emotional numbness, feelings of meaninglessness and identity confusion – died during the study period.
On the other hand, only 7.3% of those who experience milder pain symptoms died.
“High levels” of sadness were defined as experiencing more than half of the nine identified symptoms, including emotional numbness, feelings of meaninglessness, difficulty accepting loss and confusion about someone’s identity.
Participants completed questionnaires at the start of the study, then six months and three years after their mourning, giving them a detailed picture of their emotional condition.
The study also observed increased interaction with the health care system in people with high mourning symptoms, with a higher use of antidepressants, mental health care and first -line care.
“Those with a high grief process seem to be a vulnerable group of family members before death, with a need for special attention,” Nielsen CNN said via e -mail.
“(They) may need extra support. They may experience suffering and have difficulty dealing with the situation,” she said, pointing to earlier studies that have emphasized a low socio-economic status, poor self-reported health and higher symptoms of depression and fear, which all contribute to overwhelming grief.
Although this study has not specified, its findings are in accordance with existing research into how traumatic loss influences physical health.
Cardiologist Sian Harding, emeritus professor of cardiac pharmacology at Imperial College London, who was not involved in the research, emphasized the crucial “longitudinal perspective” of the study.
She noted that although an acute effect of mourning is known on the health of the heart, this study shows a long -term, harmful impact that can manifest itself as heart disease and other ailments.
“It was not a special surprise for me that this specific form of stress, although for a long time, has a harmful effect on the body. It can especially come out as heart conditions, but also other things,” Harding said.
This long -term stress due to sadness can lead to increased blood pressure, increased cortisol levels, a higher risk of diabetes and poor mental health.
The established “broken heart syndrome”-also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo-Cardiomyopathy-called a sudden weakening of the heart muscle, is a good example of the physical toll of acute stress.
The findings from the latest study suggest that health workers “are able to discover needy family members early in the patient’s disease trajectory and offer follow-up,” says Nielsen.
