Abstract

BackgroundThere is growing recognition of a syndrome of disturbed grief referred to as prolonged grief disorder (PGD). PGD is mostly studied in adults, but clinically significant PGD symptoms have also been observed in children and adolescents. Yet, to date no effective treatment for childhood PGD exists. The aims of this study are: (1) to investigate the effectiveness of Grief-Help, a nine-session cognitive-behavioural treatment for childhood PGD, combined with five sessions of parental counselling, immediately after the treatment and at three, six and twelve months follow-up; (2) to examine tentative mediators of the effects of Grief-Help, (i.e., maladaptive cognitions and behaviours and positive parenting), and (3) to determine whether demographic variables, child personality, as well as symptoms of PGD, anxiety, and depression in parents moderate the treatment effectiveness.Methods/DesignWe will conduct a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) in which 160 children and adolescents aged 8–18 years are randomly allocated to cognitive behavioural Grief-Help or to a supportive counselling intervention; both treatments are combined with five sessions of parental counselling. We will recruit participants from clinics for mental health in the Netherlands. The primary outcome measure will be the severity of Prolonged Grief Disorder symptoms according to the Inventory of Prolonged Grief for Children (IPG-C). Secondary outcomes will include PTSD, depression and parent-rated internalizing and externalizing problems. Mediators like positive parenting and maladaptive cognitions and behaviours will be identified. We will also examine possible moderators including demographic variables (e.g. time since loss, cause of death), psychopathology symptoms in parents (PGD, anxiety and depression) and child personality. Assessments will take place in both groups at baseline, after the treatment-phase and three, six and twelve months after the post-treatment assessment.DiscussionWe aim to contribute to the improvement of mental health care for children and adolescents suffering from loss. By comparing Grief-Help with supportive counselling, and by investigating mediators and moderators of its effectiveness we hope to provide new insights in the effects of interventions for bereaved children, and their mechanisms of change.Trial registrationNetherlands Trial Register NTR3854

Highlights

  • There is growing recognition of a syndrome of disturbed grief referred to as prolonged grief disorder (PGD)

  • We aim to contribute to the improvement of mental health care for children and adolescents suffering from loss

  • Given the need for effective therapy for PGD symptoms in children and adolescents, we developed a nine-session protocolized cognitive-behavioural treatment that is administered in combination with five sessions of parental counselling

Read more

Summary

Introduction

There is growing recognition of a syndrome of disturbed grief referred to as prolonged grief disorder (PGD). The death of a loved one in childhood and adolescence is associated with increased emotional problems, including elevated depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress, as well as somatic complaints and behavioural problems [1,2]. From among all children who experience such a loss, an estimated 5% to 10% go on to experience clinically significant psychiatric problems. Such problems include major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and prolonged grief disorder (PGD) [3,4]. PGD symptoms can be distinguished from normal grief, depression and anxiety, including PTSD, and are associated with significant concomitant internalizing and externalizing problems [7,8,9,10]

Objectives
Methods
Findings
Conclusion
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call