The DOI matches its Crossref record; 107 of the 107 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions for bereaved persons: A comprehensive quantitative review.
Abstract
Previous quantitative reviews of research on psychotherapeutic interventions for bereaved persons have yielded divergent findings and have not included many of the available controlled outcome studies. This meta-analysis summarizes results from 61 controlled studies to offer a more comprehensive integration of this literature. This review examined (a) the absolute effectiveness of bereavement interventions immediately following intervention and at follow-up assessments, (b) several of the clinically and theoretically relevant moderators of outcome, and (c) change over time among recipients of the interventions and individuals in no-intervention control groups. Overall, analyses showed that interventions had a small effect at posttreatment but no statistically significant benefit at follow-up. However, interventions that exclusively targeted grievers displaying marked difficulties adapting to loss had outcomes that compare favorably with psychotherapies for other difficulties. Other evidence suggested that the discouraging results for studies failing to screen for indications of distress could be attributed to a tendency among controls to improve naturally over time. The findings of the review underscore the importance of attending to the targeted population in the practice and study of psychotherapeutic interventions for bereaved persons.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Although bereavement interventions appear to be effective if aimed high-risk groups or at those whose grieving process has already complicated,57-59”
From Complicated grief after perinatal loss (2012) · cites this paper as [57]
In the citing paper
“Reviews and meta-analyses of general bereavement interventions have shown that although effectiveness of bereavement interventions is often assumed, empirical evidence yields inconclusive results.”
From Complicated grief after perinatal loss (2012) · cites this paper as [57]
Citations
Cites
Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences
Cohen, J. (1990) · Computers Environment and Urban Systems · doi:10.1016/0198-9715(90)90050-4 · Cited by 65,417
Bias in meta-analysis detected by a simple, graphical test
Egger, M., Smith, G. D., Schneider, M., & Minder, C. (1997) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.315.7109.629 · Cited by 56,722
Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed.).
Lachenbruch, P. A., & Cohen, J. (1989) · Journal of the American Statistical Association · doi:10.2307/2290095 · Cited by 37,421
Statistical principles in experimental design.
Winer, B. J. (1962) · McGraw-Hill Book Company · doi:10.1037/11774-000 · Cited by 27,137
Statistical Methods for Rates and Proportions
Fleiss, J. L., Levin, B., & Paik, M. C. (2003) · Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics · doi:10.1002/0471445428 · Cited by 18,646
(2000) · Cited by 9,198
Meta-analysis in social research
(1982) · Evaluation and Program Planning · doi:10.1016/0149-7189(82)90011-8 · Cited by 3,896
The Handbook of Research Synthesis.
Howel, D., Cooper, H., & Hedges, L. V. (1995) · Biometrics · doi:10.2307/2533295 · Cited by 3,657
Bergin and Garfield's Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change
Lambert, M. J. (2003) · Cited by 3,383
Fixed-and random-effects models in meta-analysis.
Hedges, L. V., & Vevea, J. L. (1998) · Psychological Methods · doi:10.1037/1082-989x.3.4.486 · Cited by 2,977
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 401–430 of 430
Chow, A. Y. M. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_1007-1
Oyebode, J. R. (2016) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_862-2
Play-Based Bereavement Centers for Children and Families
Turner, R. B. (2020) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-3432-8.ch074
Smoski, M. J., Schuette, S., & Thompson, L. W. (2022) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9781615375196.ds15
Grief Interventions in Palliative Care
Lichtenthal, W. G., Roberts, K. E., Rogers, M., Fadalla, C., Rosa, W. E., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2022) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med/9780197583838.003.0041
Self-citationTschebiner, D. (2023) · Spiritual Care · doi:10.1515/spircare-2022-0037
Treml, J., & Kersting, A. (2023) · Die Psychotherapie · doi:10.1007/s00278-023-00675-5
“Übersichtsarbeiten fanden keine bis minimale Effektstärken, und einige Autor*innen vertreten die Meinung, dass psychotherapeutische Interventionen den normalen Trauerverlauf sogar negativ beeinflussen können (Lilienfeld 2007; Currier et al. 2008; Wittouck et al. 2011).”
Forgotten Grieving Widows of Covid-19Preprint
Ajayan, A., Vranda, M. N., Kesavan, M., & Majhi, G. (2023) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4563104
Zhang, N., Sandler, I. N., Thieleman, K., Wolwick, S., & O’Hara, K. L. (2024) · Gezinstherapie Wereldwijd · doi:10.1007/s12440-024-00213-y
“…enkele bemoedigende bevindingen kennelijk dus werk aan de winkel voor het verbete-ren van de effectiviteit van verliesinterventies, en is het met name van belang om het inzicht in de therapeutische processen en veranderingsmechanismen van die interventies te verbeteren (Currier et al. 2008).”
Hashemzadeh, M., Jamaloo, S., Shahmohamadi, E., Rahmani, A., Damavandi, G. R., Mousavi, M. S., Sotoudeh, H. G., & Artounian, V. (2024) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2024.02.03.24302281
“Currier et al.'s meta-analysis (2008) found that interventions for grief in children exhibited similar effectiveness to those in adults.”
BackgroundResultComparing Public Perceptions of Child and Adult Grief Responses to Familial Incarceration
Abu-Samaha, A., McLean, E., Weller, D., Kelley, J., Schmidt, A., & Singer, J. (2024) · OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying · doi:10.1177/00302228241266278
“However, interventions that incorporate “ grief work ” or “ working through ” the loss have been shown to have no positive effects and potentially create iatrogenic outcomes (Currier et al., 2008; Jordan & Neimeyer, 2003; Zisook & Shear, 2009).”
InfluentialEnd-of-Life Care of Pediatric with Advanced Illness
Javadi‐Pashaki, N., Taheri‐Ezbarami, Z., Pouy, S., & Dwivedi, S. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-97-9587-1_7
Grundlagen der Diagnostik und Therapie
(2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-3-437-22487-4.16001-0
Weir, T. E., James, H., Carreiro, E., & Herridge, M. S. (2025) · The Lancet Respiratory Medicine · doi:10.1016/s2213-2600(25)00120-1
Supporting Bereaved Caregivers: Adaptation of the REACH Behavioral Intervention
Martindale-Adams, J. L., Zuber, J. K., Stark, D., & Nichols, L. O. (2025) · OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying · doi:10.1177/00302228251377621
Effects of Imagery Intervention on the Experience of Parental Loss in Adulthood
Park, S., Nam, J. K., & Kim, Y. (2026) · OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying · doi:10.1177/00302228261418444
Khorzoughi, K. B., Khorzoughi, K. B., Rostami, Z., & Sharifi, S. (2026) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-026-04133-0
Traité de régulation des émotions
André, C. (2012) · Carrefour des psychothérapies · doi:10.3917/dbu.mikol.2012.01.0527
“The quiet, beautiful, intentional space to grieve and remember”
Lazzara, J., Thieleman, K., & Cacciatore, J. (2026) · Wellbeing Space and Society · doi:10.1016/j.wss.2026.100383
Mace, C., & Deighton, R. (2026) · Death Studies · doi:10.1080/07481187.2026.2646872
Finnish Parents’ Preferences for Online Grief Support Content After a Child’s Death
Hussin, N. A. M., Alanko, T., & Aho, A. L. (2026) · Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care · doi:10.1080/15524256.2026.2674197
“Bereavement support for populations at higher risk, such as those mourning a violent death or other traumatic losses, results in more significant reductions in distress (Currier et al., 2008).”
Lin, C., Qian, W., Stelzer, E., Le, H. H., Wang, J., Boelen, P. A., & Killikelly, C. (2026) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.1080/20008066.2026.2712026
“Furthermore, a previous systematic review suggested that the loss type may moderate the effectiveness of interventions; accordingly, we also conducted sub-group analyses based on the bereaved relationship (Currier et al., 2008).”
Znoj, H., & Maercker, A. R. A. (2026) · Psychotherapie: Praxis · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-72268-8_80
Kaya, Ş. E., & Kaya, M. E. (2026) · Journal of Constructivist Psychology · doi:10.1080/10720537.2026.2730661
Shanahan, C., Sturmey, P., Nistler, N., Haugan, R., & Demiri, V. (2026) · Behavior and Social Issues · doi:10.1007/s42822-026-00270-8
Bollig, G., Gräf, K., & Smeding, R. (2026) · IntechOpen eBooks · doi:10.5772/intechopen.1017905
A Phenomenological Approach to Uncovering the Essence of Grieving Experiences of Undergraduates.
Bergene, L. B. (2013) · NCSU Libraries Repository (North Carolina State University Libraries)
Schneider, B., Lindner, R., & Sperling, U. (2014) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-44012-4_9
Metadata
- Authors
- Currier, J. M., Neimeyer, R. A., & Berman, J. S.
- Affiliations
- University of Memphis (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Bulletin
- Published
- 2008-09
- Volume
- 134
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 648-661
- ISSN
- 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1455
- OpenAlex
- W1996791213
- Semantic Scholar
- e48256d4aa8a340ba6e8c4f33ffc63e995154890
- Cited by
- 431
- References
- 107
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 44 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 32
- FWCI
- 27.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- bereavement, grief, psychotherapeutic interventions, bereavement interventions, adaptation to loss, treatment effectiveness, follow-up outcomes, natural recovery
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Bereavement, Humans, Psychoanalytic Therapy, Stress, Psychological, Treatment Outcome
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
