Anticipatory Anniversary Effects and Bereavement: Development of an Integrated Explanatory Model

Abstract

Anniversary effects have been previously noted in bereavement, but there is little empirical support for this observation. This article reports on the development of an anniversary effects model with intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental determinants based on a literature review of anniversary reactions. A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study of Chinese bereaved persons in Hong Kong was undertaken, and anticipatory bereavement anniversary effects were observed rather than the bereavement anniversary effects reported in the literature. Based on a further literature review, the first model was amended to form an integrative model of anticipatory anniversary effects. The revised model integrated concepts of appraisal and coping, as well as postulating their relationship to anniversary reactions. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.