Testing Accelerated Resolution Therapy to Help Older Family Caregivers Manage Early Grief and Prevent Long-Term Grief Disorder

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the effects of Accelerated Resolution Therapy ART on pre-loss grief and prolonged grief disorder in older adult family caregivers. The study aims to understand how ART may help alleviate maladaptive grief before bereavement and prevent prolonged grief disorder afterwards. It also seeks to explore cognitive changes and factors that predict response to ART among grieving individuals. This clinical trial randomly assigns primary caregivers of immediate family members enrolled in hospice or palliative care to receive either four weekly sessions of ART or four sessions of an educational and emotional support program matched for time and attention. ART is a brief psychotherapeutic approach designed to reduce distress related to anticipated loss and refocus attention on the relationship rather than the loss. Participants will be assessed at enrollment, after the four-session intervention, and then at six and thirteen months post-bereavement. A subgroup will participate in interviews to explore cognitive changes. The researchers will measure changes in pre-loss grief and prolonged grief disorder using clinical scales to evaluate the potential benefits of ART as a first-line or preventive treatment. The total participation duration spans over a year with multiple evaluation points.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy for Early Maladaptive Grief