Bereavement is a commonly experienced grief event; however, bereavement can also trigger a number of psychological consequences, such as prolonged grief disorder (PGD). At present, the differences in prolonged grief disorder symptoms (PGD symptoms) among various individuals and how those symptoms relate to cognitive variables are unclear. In the present study, 817 Chinese college students with bereavement experience were selected as participants. Based on the evaluation results of their irrational beliefs, bereavement-related irrational beliefs, basic world assumptions, and PGD symptoms, an individual-centered latent profile analysis was used to divide a group with PGD symptoms into several subgroups and comprehensively examine the relationships between these subgroups and cognitive variables. (1) The severity of PGD symptoms among Chinese college students can be categorized into three subgroups: mild, moderate, and severe. (2) Cognitive variables such as irrational beliefs and basic world assumptions were all found to correlate with the severity of PGD symptoms; bereavement-related irrational beliefs was the variable with the largest correlation. However, for the first time, this study found that different dimensions of basic world assumptions had different directions of correlation, based on the severity of the PGD symptoms. Justice, control, randomness, and self-control had significantly positive correlations. Conversely, benevolence of the world, benevolence of people, and worthiness of the self had significantly negative correlations. These results have important reference value for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) treatment and interventions for PGD issues in Chinese college students.
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