Meaning-based Group Counselling for Bereavement

The Development and Pilot Testing of Meaning-based Group Counselling Intervention for Bereavement

Given that individuals in bereavement tend to experience substantial psychological distress in the first two years following loss, individuals seeking psychological support will need appropriate services grounded in sound empirical scholarship. There is a lack of studies assessing bereavement groups, despite groups being one of the most common forms by which such services are offered. The prominent and emerging process of meaning-reconstruction in bereavement research is theorized to lead to better psychological adjustment and prevent more prolonged grief reactions. The principal objective of this study is to compare two types of group counseling for individuals in bereavement: A novel meaning-based bereavement counseling group and a conventional bereavement support group.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Grief; Bereavement
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Meaning-Based Bereavement Group; Behavioral: Conventional Bereavement Group

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 26
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Quebec
    • Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3T 1E2
      • S.M.B.D. Jewish General Hospital / Hope and Cope Program

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Individuals presenting for bereavement services that have experienced a death-related loss within 6 weeks to 2 years of the first meeting of the group, and are experiencing an uncomplicated grief response will be invited to participate.
• Individuals will be assessed for their ability to participate in a group counselling context as well as an uncomplicated grief trajectory. Participants must be 18 years of age or older, have sufficient ability to communicate in English, as well as read English.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Following a clinical/diagnostic interview and administration of the PG-13 (Prolonged Grief Disorder-13, Prigerson et al., 2009), individuals experiencing a complicated/prolonged grief trajectory are excluded.
• Furthermore, individuals whose cognitive condition might make the study burdensome or impossible for them are excluded.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Meaning-Based Bereavement Group	Behavioral: Meaning-Based Bereavement Group; A 12 week bereavement counselling group with tasks and themes that focus on re-constructing meaning following death.
Active Comparator: Conventional Bereavement Group	Behavioral: Conventional Bereavement Group; An 8 week traditional bereavement group that follows a more conventional approach to grief support.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Grief	Descriptive statistical analysis (e.g., means, standard deviations, percentage of scale range improvements) will be conducted on the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up scores for both the experimental and control group on the following outcome measures (1) Grief: Revised Grief Experience Inventory; Core Bereavement; Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist	24 weeks
Meaning	Descriptive statistical analysis (e.g., means, standard deviations, percentage of scale range improvements) will be conducted on the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up scores for both the experimental and control group on the following outcome measures (1) Meaning: Purpose in Life Test; The Grief and Meaning-Reconstruction Inventory; The Integration of Stressful Life Experiences Scale	24 weeks
Depression	Descriptive statistical analysis (e.g., means, standard deviations, percentage of scale range improvements) will be conducted on the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up scores for both the experimental and control group on the following outcome measures (1) Depression: Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale	24 Weeks
Anxiety	Descriptive statistical analysis (e.g., means, standard deviations, percentage of scale range improvements) will be conducted on the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up scores for both the experimental and control group on the following outcome measures (1)Anxiety: State-Trait Anxiety Scale	24 Weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Jewish General Hospital
• Collaborators: McGill University; Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2010
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): October 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 23, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 28, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): June 29, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): November 8, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 7, 2013
• Last Verified: August 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Counseling; Support; Psychotherapy; Death; Group; Grief; Bereavement; Uncomplicated; Meaning; Mourning; Loss
• Other Study ID Numbers: 002645