Internet-Based Exposure and Behavioral Activation for Complicated Grief and Rumination: A Randomized Controlled Trial☆
Section snippets
Study design
Ethical approval for the present study was provided by an official Dutch Ethical Review Board. Participants were recruited through advertisements on websites and Facebook pages of organizations for bereaved individuals, and on the content network of Google from May 2013 through January 2014. People who were interested in participation could link through to a website specifically designed for the current project. On this website they could read general information about the study (e.g., on goals
Randomization Check
Before conducting the main analyses, we performed a randomization check by comparing all groups at baseline on all variables using chi-square tests and ANOVAs. No baseline group differences were found on demographic and loss-related variables, or on levels of complicated grief, posttraumatic stress, anxiety, grief rumination and reflection. However, we did find significant baseline differences between groups on depressive symptoms, F(2, 44) = 3.49, p = .04, and brooding, F(2, 44) = 5.26, p = .01.
Discussion
In the current study, we set out to examine the effectiveness and feasibility of two different modules of brief therapist-guided online CBT for people experiencing elevated levels of complicated grief and grief rumination: exposure and behavioral activation. Our intention-to-treat analyses showed that, compared to a waiting list control group, each intervention resulted in large effects on the two core variables of interest, complicated grief and grief rumination, at postmeasurement, and that
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
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