Experiences of Social Disconnection in a Bereaved Community Sample from Ontario, Canada

Lower perceived social support is a known risk factor for problematic grief reactions, but specific facets such as social disconnection may play a critical role in shaping grief responses. This study utilized the Oxford-Grief Social Disconnection Scale (OG-SD) to examine the demographic, loss-related, and psychological correlates of its three core dimensions, as identified in previous research: Negative Interpretation of Others’ Reactions to Grief Expression, Altered Social Self, and Safety in Solitude. Participants were a non-probability sample of N = 1171 bereaved adults living in Ontario, Canada. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the three dimensions of grief-related social disconnection identified in previous research. Correlation and one-way ANOVA tests explored demographic and loss-related correlates of these dimensions, while associations with symptoms of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD), depression, and anxiety were assessed through correlational analyses. CFA results confirmed that the OG-SD was best reflected by a correlated three-factor model comprising Negative Interpretation of Others’ Reactions to Grief Expression, Altered Social Self, and Safety in Solitude latent variables. Distinct associations between the core dimensions of social disconnection and loss-related variables were identified, and significant associations between all three dimensions and scores on measures of PGD, depression, and anxiety were also observed. Findings from this study not only provide additional support for the validity and reliability of the OG-SD in a general population sample of Canadian adults, for the first time, but also identify demographic, loss-related, and psychological factors associated with social disconnection.