Internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy for complicated grief: a randomized controlled trial.
The present study investigates the efficacy of an Internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy program for bereaved people suffering complicated grief. The program combines established methods of psychotherapy with new technology--therapists and patients communicated exclusively by e-mail. Bereaved individuals diagnosed with complicated grief (n = 55) were randomly assigned to either the treatment group or a waiting list control condition. The 5-week intervention consisted of three modules: (1) exposure to bereavement cues; (2) cognitive reappraisal; and (3) integration and restoration. The Impact of Event Scale (IES), a failure to adapt scale, and the depression and anxiety subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) were used to assess treatment outcomes. Participants in the treatment group (n = 26) improved significantly relative to participants in the waiting condition on symptoms of intrusion, avoidance, maladaptive behavior, and general psychopathology, and showed a large treatment effect. Follow-up results show that this improvement was maintained after 3 months.
Wagner
Birgit
B
Department of Psychopathology, University of Zurich, Scheuchzerstr. 21, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland. b.wagner@psychologie.unizh.ch
Knaevelsrud
Christine
C
Maercker
Andreas
A
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001317:Austria; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D034742:Electronic Mail; D005858:Germany; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D013557:Switzerland; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted; D016896:Treatment Outcome