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Abstract
More effective psychosocial interventions that target uncomplicated bereavement are needed for those actively seeking support. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of evaluating a unique meaning-based group counseling (MBGC) intervention with a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design. Twenty-six bereft individuals were randomly assigned to either MBGC or a control bereavement support group. Twenty participants (11 experimental, nine control) completed all aspects of the study including self-report measures at baseline, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up of meaning in life, anxiety, depression, and grief. Results support the feasibility of an RCT with MBGC.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Appreciation is extended to Laura Copeland who served as a research assistant for this project. Thanks to the following individuals and groups for early input on developing Meaning-Based Group Counseling: Dr. Pierre Gagnon; Dr. Keith Wilson; the Strategic Training Program in Palliative Care Research; the Coping and Resilience Research Team (McGill); and the Palliative Care McGill Research Team. The authors wish to thank a number of organizations who generously referred individuals for the study including Hope & Cope, Palliative Care McGill and affiliated Palliative Care Services, McGill Counseling Services, the McGill University Health Center and Jewish General Hospital's Psychosocial Oncology Programs, CSSS Cavendish, Cedars CanSupport, and the Argyle Institute of Human Relations.
Notes
1This timeframe corresponds to the framework of common grief adaptation as described by both Prigerson and Maciejewski (Citation2008b) as well as Davidson (Citation1979) as reported by Neimeyer (Citation2006).
2Prolonged grief disorder is defined as a state that endures for at least 6 months and includes grief-related psychological distress that impairs functioning (Holland, Neimeyer, Boelen, & Prigerson, Citation2008).
3The PG-13 is not designed to be given until six months after the death.
4The Grief and Meaning Reconstruction Inventory (GMRI; Gillies, Neimeyer, & Milman, Citation2014) was also administered though the results are not reported.