Measurement of Yearning in Bereaved Spouses

Yearning can best be described as a cognitive-affective process that consists of repetitive counterfactual thoughts in present situations that can elicit positive and negative feelings related to what life would be like if the deceased lived in an alternative reality compounded with frustration and desire to be with them. Yearning is the only emotional response that differentiates bereavement from other life events. How yearning is measured and assessed within the review of literature has been limited and proven problematic based on the assumption that the underlying construct of yearning is homogeneous, whereas yearning is multifaceted and complex. Single-item assessments of such a complex phenomenon are not enough to clinically diagnose and to plan treatment modalities which is required when diagnosed within DSM-TR-5 criteria.