Randomised controlled trial of a cognitive narrative intervention for complicated grief in widowhood
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The implementation of bereavement interventions is frequently requested, and its effectiveness has been controversial. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a cognitive narrative intervention for complicated grief (CG) for controlling post-traumatic and depressive issues. METHOD: The study is a randomised controlled trial and uses the Socio Demographic Questionnaire (SDQ), the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R). There were three phases in the study: (1) The SDQ and CG evaluations were applied to bereaved elders (n = 82). The bereaved elders with the 40 highest ICG values (≥25) were randomly allocated into two groups: the intervention group (n = 20) and control group (n = 20); (2) participants were evaluated using the BDI and IES-R and the IG gave informed consent to participate in an intervention with four weekly 60-min sessions addressing recall, emotional and cognitive subjectivation, metaphorisation and projecting. (3) Two months later, the ICG, BDI and IES-R assessments were repeated. RESULTS: Outcome measures showed a statistically significant reduction of CG, depressive and traumatic symptoms compared to the controls. Very high effect sizes for the ICG, BDI and IES-R reflect the effectiveness of the intervention along the longitudinal profile. CONCLUSIONS: These results reinforce the importance of brief interventions that combine a reduced number of sessions with lower costs, which is reflected in an increased adherence to the programme along with high effectiveness.
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Non-directive narrative retelling, when conducted in a safe and low-avoidance setting, can enable the bereaved to reconstruct a coherent narrative of the loss and its implications.
“This technique, when conducted in a safe and low-avoidance setting, can enable the bereaved to reconstruct a coherent narrative of the loss and its implications through introspection and deliberative processing and integration of its meaning.”
From Ayahuasca-assisted meaning reconstruction therapy for grief: a non-randomized clinical trial protocol (2025) · cites this paper as [97]
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- Authors
- Barbosa, V., Sá, M., & Carlos Rocha, J.
- Affiliations
- Cooperativa de Ensino Superior Politécnico e Universitário (PT)
- ISCS-N, CESPU, CICS - UnIPSa, Gandra, Portugal
- Corresponding author
- Sá, Mónica
- Venue
- Aging & Mental Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2013-09-30
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 354-362
- ISSN
- 1360-7863 (ISSN-L)
- 1364-6915
- OpenAlex
- W1979626313
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 1.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Aging & Mental Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Keywords
- complicated grief, widowhood, bereavement interventions, older adults, depression, post-traumatic stress, metaphorization, brief psychotherapy
- MeSH terms
- Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Grief, Humans, Male, Portugal, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Widowhood
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