Treating complicated grief: effects on sleep quality
Abstract
Complicated grief (CG) is characterized by recurrent distressing emotions and intrusive thoughts related to the loss of a loved one and avoidance of reminders of the deceased. Poor sleep quality characterizes CG. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy reduce CG symptom severity. The effect of these treatments on sleep quality is not known, however. We investigated whether complicated grief treatments (CGTs) improve sleep quality, as assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Data collected from 95 adults who participated in a randomized controlled trial were reviewed. Poor sleep quality persisted despite clinically significant improvements in CG severity posttreatment. Given that sleep disturbance is a risk factor for poor health outcomes, adjunctive sleep interventions may be necessary to enhance CGT outcomes.
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A study targeting treatment of prolonged grief found a modest improvement in sleep quality, but sleep difficulties remained after treatment even though prolonged grief symptoms had decreased.
“A study targeting treatment of prolonged grief found a modest improvement in sleep quality, but the sleep difficulties remained after treatment even though prolonged grief symptoms had decreased (Germain et al., 2006).”
From Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of guided internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia after the loss of a child to cancer: Randomized controlled trial (2021) · cites this paper as Germain et al., 2006
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“A study targeting treatment of prolonged grief found a modest improvement in sleep quality, but the sleep difficulties remained after treatment even though prolonged grief symptoms had decreased (Germain et al., 2006).”
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- Authors
- Germain, A., Shear, K., Monk, T. H., Houck, P. R., Reynolds, III, Frank, E., & Buysse, D. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- Venue
- Behavioral Sleep Medicine
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2006-08
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 152-163
- ISSN
- 1540-2002 (ISSN-L)
- 1540-2010
- OpenAlex
- W2007674976
- Cited by
- 20
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behavioral Sleep Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Aging (AG 020677, R01AG013396, AG13396, P01AG020677)
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH-52247, P30MH052247, MH-071944, MH-00295, MH 24652, MH60783, MH-37869, R01MH060783, MH-43832, P30MH071944, R01MH037869, MH30915)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
- Keywords
- complicated grief, sleep quality, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, bereavement, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, sleep disorders
- MeSH terms
- Adjustment Disorders, Analysis of Variance, Female, Grief, Humans, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Male, Middle Aged, Psychotherapy, Brief, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
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