Treating prolonged grief disorder with prolonged grief-specific cognitive behavioral therapy: study protocol for a...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is a recognized mental disorder with effective grief-specific interventions.
• Evidence for the relative efficacy of grief-specific treatments compared to non-specific therapies is needed.
• Research on predictors of treatment success for PGD is also warranted.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a newly developed prolonged grief-specific integrative cognitive behavioral therapy (PG-CBT).
• To compare PG-CBT against an active, unspecific treatment, present-centered therapy (PCT).
• To explore predictors and mediators of treatment success in PGD.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, randomized controlled trial involving 204 adults diagnosed with PGD.
• Comparison of PG-CBT (20-24 sessions) with PCT over approximately 6 months.
• Primary outcome: grief symptom severity assessed by blinded interviewers at 12 months post-randomization. Secondary outcomes include self-reported mental health, depressive, and somatoform symptoms.

Main Results:

• The study is adequately powered for the primary outcome, allowing for robust statistical analysis.
• Secondary analyses, including moderator and mediator analyses, are exploratory.
• The trial design incorporates measures to minimize bias and ensure clinical relevance.

Conclusions:

• The findings will contribute to the understanding of efficacious treatments for PGD.
• The study aims to identify predictors that can guide personalized treatment approaches for PGD.
• Results will enhance knowledge on managing prolonged grief disorder through evidence-based therapies.