The DOI matches its Crossref record; 32 of the 32 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Interventions to Enhance Adaptation to Bereavement
Open accessAbstract
This paper reviews quantitative evaluations of the efficacy of intervention programs designed to reduce the pain and suffering associated with bereavement. After identifying the psychological and physical health impacts of bereavement and outlining the prevalence of detrimental outcomes, we conclude that a minority of bereaved persons experience severe and sometimes lasting consequences, whereas the majority manage to overcome their grief across the course of time. We detail criteria for establishing the efficacy of bereavement intervention and examine the impact of intervention according to these stringent criteria. We critically examine previous reviews and summarize their conclusions. Using a narrative review approach, we apply a public health framework to organize intervention programs into primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies. A comprehensive, updated review of empirical studies in these categories leads to the following conclusions: Routine intervention for bereavement has not received support from quantitative evaluations of its effectiveness and is therefore not empirically based. Outreach strategies are not advised, and even provision of intervention for those who believe that they need it and who request it should be carefully evaluated. Intervention soon after bereavement may interfere with "natural" grieving processes. Intervention is more effective for those with more complicated forms of grief. Finally, a research agenda is outlined that includes the use of rigorous design and methodological principles in both intervention programs themselves and in studies evaluating their efficacy; systematic investigation of "risk factors"; and comparison of relative effectiveness of different intervention programs (i.e., what works for whom).
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“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 [56]
Citations
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“(1) General or primary prevention interventions are open to all bereaved persons, to anyone who has experienced a loss through death.”
Principles of Preventive Psychiatry
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Neimeyer, R. A. (2000) · Death Studies · doi:10.1080/07481180050121480 · Cited by 591 · cited 1×
“Jordan and Neimeyer 16,21 summarized some of the above qualitative (narrative) and quantitative (meta-analytic) reviews of the literature on the efficacy of individual and group interventions, primarily for adults, including a report of an unpublished meta-analytic review by Fortner and Neimeyer.”
Mortality in parents after death of a child in Denmark: a nationwide follow-up study
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- 10.1037//0022-006X.66.1.7 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1177/00027640121956494 · DOI
- 1998, J Bvt Care, 17, 18
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“The dearth of high-quality and methodologically equivalent studies [30-32] seem to have led to the general conclusion that the grief field remains in its infancy [33].”
Kristiansen, C. B., Elliott, A. F., Hjorth, P., Søndergaard, J., Mattisson, C., & Andersen, K. (2021) · International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1080/17482631.2020.1871181 · Cited by 7
“Instead, preventive interventions to improve mental health and wellbeing in widowhood must be designed specifically to those who are most at risk of developing adverse outcomes in relation to widowhood (Nseir & Larkey, 2013; Schut & Stroebe, 2005).”
BackgroundSawyer, J. S. (2024) · Death Studies · doi:10.1080/07481187.2024.2349933 · Cited by 6
“Because severe grief reactions are rare, and interventions and outreach services for bereaved people seem to be mostly unhelpful (Schut & Stroebe, 2005), primary prevention techniques in colleges and universities focused on grief and bereavement myths in classroom or other outreach settings could…”
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Bowden, C. J. (2011) · Bereavement Care · doi:10.1080/02682621.2011.617970 · Cited by 7
“This approach is also supported by research (Schut & Stroebe, 2005).”
Methodological and ethical aspects of evaluation research in bereavement
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“Formal individual and group/ interventions have been identified as suitable for some while they also receive criticism from others (Currier, Neimeyer, & Berman, 2008; Curtis & Newman, 2001; Jordan & Neimeyer, 2003; Larson & Hoyt, 2007; Schut & Stroebe, 2005).”
BackgroundBeyond the Broken Heart: Mental and Physical Health Consequences of Losing a Loved One
Stroebe, M. (2009) · Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) · Cited by 5
Self-citationJordan, A. H., Lubin, R. E., Larson, J. L., Wortmann, J., & Litz, B. (2016) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-397045-9.00260-3 · Cited by 9
Complicated grief knowledge and practice: a qualitative study of general practitioners in Ireland
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“There is no evidence to suggest that routine intervention for uncomplicated grief is either warranted or useful (Parkes 1998; Schut & Stroebe 2005).”
BackgroundOutcome Research on Disorder-Specific Treatments: The Case of Grief Therapy
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Maman, Y., Falah, J. F., & Hijazi, I. (2019) · Open Journal of Social Sciences · doi:10.4236/jss.2019.78003 · Cited by 4
“This process is known as “the loss” (Schut & Stroebe, 2005) [3].”
BackgroundEffects of organization-related variables on evaluation of palliative care by informal caregivers
Takeuchi, M., Shimizu, M., Morita, T., Sato, K., Miura, S., Konnno, M., Sato, K., Uchiyama, M., Takahashi, N., Izumi, K., et al. (2014) · Palliative Care Research · doi:10.2512/jspm.9.101 · Cited by 4
Hall, C. L. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-77740-5_33 · Cited by 4
Practitioners and researchers working together in an intervention efficacy study
Newsom, C., Wilson, S., Birrell, J., Stroebe, M., & Schut, H. A. W. (2011) · Bereavement Care · doi:10.1080/02682621.2011.555241 · Cited by 4
Self-citationGirault, N., & Fossati, P. (2008) · EMC - Tratado de Medicina · doi:10.1016/s1636-5410(08)70594-4 · Cited by 4
Newsom, C., Schut, H. A. W., Stroebe, M., Birrell, J., & Wilson, S. (2015) · Death Studies · doi:10.1080/07481187.2015.1068244 · Cited by 4
“Research has indicated that bereaved people who— for various reasons—are considered to be at risk of experiencing complications in the grieving process are the ones on whom professional bereavement interventions should focus (Currier, Holland, & Neimeyer, 2006; Schut & Stroebe, 2005).”
Self-citationDelalibera, M. (2010) · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · Cited by 4
Müller, H., Zsák, É., O’Connor, M., Keegan, O., Østergaard, T. G., & Larsen, L. H. (2024) · Death Studies · doi:10.1080/07481187.2024.2324908 · Cited by 3
“…to build the conference around a scientifically sound and internationally recognized approach to bereavement care, namely the evidence-based public health model of bereavement care developed by Aoun and others (Aoun et al., 2012, Breen et al., 2022, NICE, Great Britain 2004, Schut & Stroebe, 2005).”
Psychological Outcomes after Critical Illness. Is It Time to Rethink Our Paradigm?
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“have demonstrated persistent and disruptive symptomatology, as opposed to a primary prevention strategy of administering interventions to all comers (12, 13).”
BackgroundUchida, T., Satake, N., Nakaho, T., Inoue, A., & Saito, H. (2018) · Palliative & Supportive Care · doi:10.1017/s1478951518000755 · Cited by 3
“Although most bereaved individuals overcome their grief over time without any intervention, a minority of individuals experience severe and long-term consequences (Schut & Stroebe, 2005).”
BackgroundAnpassungsstörung, akute und posttraumatische Belastungsstörung
Kapfhammer, H. (2011) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-642-03637-8_59 · Cited by 4
Perinatal Grief in the Indian Context: Conceptualizing and Companioning the Grieving Process
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Hotchkiss, J. T., Ridderman, E., & Hotchkiss, B. T. (2024) · Palliative & Supportive Care · doi:10.1017/s1478951524000506 · Cited by 2
“…indicates that supportive services for grieving families can improve their post-loss adjustment (Allumbaugh and Hoyt 1999; Forte et al. 2004; Schut and Stroebe 2005), particularly if provided soon after a loss and to those at risk for prolonged or complicated grief (Jordan and Neimeyer…”
Anpassungsstörung, akute und posttraumatische Belastungsstörung
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“This trend is consistent with existing bereavement intervention models that emphasise six months as a key threshold for grief monitoring and assessment (Breen et al., 2014a; Hudson et al., 2012; National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2004; Schut & Stroebe, 2005).”
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Bergman, E. (2008) · Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida)
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Oslo, U. I. (2014)
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Metadata
- Authors
- Schut, H., & Stroebe, M. S.
- Affiliations
- Utrecht University (NL)
- Venue
- Journal of Palliative Medicine
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2005-12
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- supplement 1
- Pages
- s-140-s-147
- ISSN
- 1096-6218 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-7740
- OpenAlex
- W1989735232
- Cited by
- 162
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 6.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- dspace.library.uu.nl
- Locations
- Journal of Palliative Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Keywords
- bereavement, grief, bereavement interventions, complicated grief, intervention efficacy, primary prevention, secondary prevention, tertiary prevention, public health framework, intervention timing, intervention effectiveness evaluation
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adjustment Disorders, Bereavement, Counseling, Family, Humans, Psychotherapy, Terminal Care
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