Um Olhar Sobre o Processo de Luto: o Papel da Vinculação, Coping e Ingestão Emocional

Abstract

Grief is an intense and unique emotional experience that has a significant impact for the bereaved individual's life. How individuals cope with loss can be influenced by coping mechanisms, such as the organization of their attachment system. One possible behavioral response may be emotional eating, used as a way of coping with suffering or stress, aiming at the individual's emotional self-regulation and the re-establishment of their homeostasis. The main objective of this study was to analyze the relationships between the severity of grief, attachment, coping mechanisms, and eating behavior in a sample of 155 individuals between the ages of 18 and 69 who had experienced the loss of a significant person in the last six months. Validated instruments were applied in Portugal, specifically the Adult Attachment Scale, the Complicated Grief Inventory, the Brief COPE, and two subscales on emotional intake and restriction. The results reveal that more severe grief processes are associated with greater use of avoidance mechanisms, greater relational Anxiety, less Comfort with closeness, less Trust in others, and higher levels of emotional eating. These results are most prevalent in individuals with a Fearful attachment style. It was also found that Comfort with closeness and Trust in others mediated the relationship between grief and problem-focused coping, while Anxiety and low Trust in others mediated the relationship between grief and avoidance-focused coping. The study reinforces the clinical value of understanding the organization of the attachment system, allowing for therapeutic interventions that are more tailored to the subjective experience of grief and the individual's emotional history.