Baanbrekend: Gecompliceerde rouwreacties na onvrijwillig baanverlies

After involuntary job loss, individuals can develop job loss-related complicated grief reactions, putting them at risk of remaining unemployed.This article describes the outcomes of a doctoral research project on the characteristics, risk factors and consequences of complicated grief reactions following job loss. A f irst step was the development and validation of an instrument to assess complicated grief reactions following job loss. The results showed that complicated grief reactions and depression and anxiety symptoms can be distinguished and that complicated grief reactions may lead to depression and anxiety symptoms over time. Main risk factors for the development of complicated grief reactions include: a strong belief in an unjust world, low self-esteem and frequent use of maladaptive coping styles. This article also describes the development of an instrument to assess negative cognitions (related to job loss), and presents a cognitive behavioral model to interpret job loss-related complicated grief reactions. The research f indings imply that an accumulation of psychological and practical problems may occur when complicated grief reactions are not recognized in a timely manner. Hence, it is important to identify and treat vulnerable individuals after job loss.