Future directions in adult bereavement research

The primary purpose of this article is to stimulate interest in conducting research related to adult bereavement and provide suggestions for improving the quality of these studies and the application of their findings. Future research needs to generate new knowledge about grief and bereavement but it also needs to examine issues and questions that will make us more confident about what we already believe. Three general suggestions deal with the importance of integrating both theory and practice into future studies, issues related to types and designs of studies, and measurement issues that should be considered. Bereavement is a long-term, multidimensional process of adjustment and future research needs to be consistent with these defining features.