Accelerated Resolution Therapy: Randomized Controlled Trial of a Complicated Grief Intervention

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Psychiatry
• Psychology

Background:

• Complicated grief (CG) is a prolonged (>12 months) grieving response disproportionately affecting older adults.
• CG is linked to adverse physical and psychological health outcomes.
• Existing treatments for CG are often time-intensive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), a novel mind-body therapy, in treating CG, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression.
• To assess ART's efficacy in older adult hospice informal caregivers.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, two-group, wait-listed randomized clinical trial (RCT) was conducted.
• Participants received four ART sessions.
• Inclusion criteria included age ≥60, CG inventory score >25, and specific PTSD checklist or screening subscale scores.

Main Results:

• Participants receiving ART showed significantly greater mean reduction in CG compared to the wait-list group.
• ART demonstrated large effect sizes for reductions in CG (1.96), PTSD (2.40), and depression (1.63) from baseline to 8-week post-treatment.
• Treatment effects were consistent across varying baseline symptom severity.

Conclusions:

• Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) appears to be an effective and time-efficient intervention for complicated grief in older adults.
• Further research in larger, diverse trials is recommended to confirm effectiveness and explore mechanisms of action.