Rewriting Grief and Loss: A Pilot Writing-For-Wellbeing Study with participants who have experienced bereavement and non-death losses

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Grief; Prolonged grief; Mental Health - Studies of normal psychology, cognitive function and behaviour; Mental Health - Other mental health disorders

• Registration Number: ACTRN12622001384741
• Lead Sponsor: Dr. Katrin Den Elzen

Brief Summary

Existing therapeutic writing studies are largely based on Expressive Writing, a short-term intervention based on a single writing-task instruction. They have demonstrated the emotional and physical health benefits in various populations; however, the feasibility and potential effectiveness of a longitudinal therapeutic writing program utilising creative writing undertaken in a therapeutic setting to foster adaption to grief is unknown. The premise underlying this longitudinal study was that more and longer-lasting health benefits might be achieved than the short-term Expressive Writing intervention in the context of grieving if the writing intervention was extended, if writing prompts were more varied and if the intervention was undertaken in a therapeutic setting. This mixed-method Writing-for-wellbeing pilot study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a longitudinal writing intervention in helping participants to work through their grief to facilitate adaptation, meaning-making, and emotional wellbeing. The study was designed to test a 6-session writing intervention with two groups of 10 adult participants each. The first comprised bereaved participants. The participants in the second group had experienced living losses, which included life-threatening illness, divorce, infertility, caring for an elderly parent with dementia, loss of family connection, and caring for a disabled child. Participants completed measures of prolonged grief, adaptive coping, anxiety and depression, meaning reconstruction, and a satisfaction questionnaire. The intervention was well-received, safe, and personally valuable. The bereaved group reported reductions in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and prolonged grief, and increases in adaptive meaning, help seeking, and spiritual support. The living losses group reported a decrease in help seeking. The main limitations of the current research are the small number of participants and the absence of a control group to ensure that the effects are a function of the intervention rather than merely the passage of time. It would be useful to investigate the efficacy of the current program being delivered in virtual space, so that people in remote locations could participate.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Completion: 2021-06-22
• Study Start: 2022-10-28
• Last Update Posted: 7 November 2022

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 20

Inclusion Criteria

Adults. Participants have to be literate and able to understand English, there are no special writing skills necessary,
Participants must have experienced grief either due to bereavement or another significant loss such as life-threatening illness, divorce, infertility, or caring for an elderly parent with dementia. No limitation was placed on how long ago the loss occurred. The rationale underpinning this decision was to allow people the opportunity to actively address their grief even a long time after their loss occurred.

Exclusion Criteria

None

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified