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Establishing the feasibility of measuring bereavement-related stress in a naturalistic setting

Award Number: R03HL172916
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, & BLOOD INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 03/01/2025
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/09/2027

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Establishing the feasibility of measuring bereavement-related stress in a naturalistic setting - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Spousal bereavement is associated with increased mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity, and diminished quality of life. While most individuals are resilient and eventually adjust to the loss, there is great variability in the type and severity of stressors that individuals experience in the first months following the loss. Grief self-report scales inquire about these stressors, but usually ask individuals to rate how often they experienced symptoms over the past 1-2 weeks. Although bereavement is a dynamic process, limited data is available on the day-to-day fluctuations in bereavement-related stress and the affective and physiological changes that follow. Affective stress reactivity refers to the changes in affect in response to a stressor while autonomic stress reactivity refers to changes in heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV). Both affective and autonomic stress reactivity have been associated with adverse mental and physical health outcomes in the general population. Emerging data also show that bereaved spouses have lower levels of HRV, indicative of a dysregulated stress response, when compared to married controls. Therefore, individual differences in stress reactivity among bereaved spouses may be linked to the detrimental health outcomes observed in this population. Our understanding of stress reactivity, however, comes from studies conducted in highly controlled laboratory settings and laboratory stressors are unlikely to capture the variety and severity of stressors experienced in bereavement. Thus, research examining stress reactivity among bereaved spouses in naturalistic settings is critically needed. The objective of the current study is to address this gap in the literature by establishing the feasibility of using stress reactivity to better capture experiences of daily stressors in spousal bereavement. We will use a novel approach that combines ecological momentary assessment with HRV measured by continuous electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring to generate personalized (person-level) measures of stress reactivity. Data will be used to develop two measures of stress reactivity: affective reactivity (changes in negative affect in response to a stressor) and autonomic reactivity (changes in heart rate and heart rate variability in response to a stressor). The pilot and feasibility data generated by this study will support future studies examining the role of stress reactivity as a mechanism linking bereavement, CVD, and other health outcomes.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $112,875 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI	1320 SOUTH DIXIE HIGHWAY STE 650	CORAL GABLES	FL	33146	MIAMI-DADE	USA	Cardiovascular Diseases Research	001	2	5/11/2026	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$112,875
2026	2025	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK ST	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Cardiovascular Diseases Research	000	1	4/30/2026	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $112,875

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $120,000 )
2025	2025	NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY	633 CLARK ST	EVANSTON	IL	60208	COOK	USA	Cardiovascular Diseases Research	000	1	2/24/2025	NEW	$120,000
														Subtotal = $120,000

Grand Total All Awards = $232,875

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Establishing the feasibility of measuring bereavement-related stress in a naturalistic setting

Award Number: R03HL172916

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, & BLOOD INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 03/01/2025

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/09/2027

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