Understanding the Role of Sleep in Complicated Grief

NYU Langone Health5 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the causes of Complicated Grief (CG) in those who experience the loss of a loved one. This study aims at learning more about the sleep patterns and emotions in participants with CG as compared to those who have lost a loved one but do not have CG. This study will consist of two aims: Aim 1: Approximately 10 complicated grief (CG) patients and 10 controls (without a current psychiatric diagnosis) will complete a 3-day home polysomnography (PSG) sleep assessment in addition to several self-report sleep and psychiatric measures. Aim 2: Approximately 10 CG patients (subsample from Aim 1) will complete 16 weekly sessions of complicated grief therapy (CGT) in addition to completion of repeated PSG assessments and self-report sleep and psychiatric measures.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Sleep Grief

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 25 YearsMax age: 60 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Bereaved due to death of a loved one \>= 6 months prior (for both CG and control groups) * For CG participants: grief is primary psychiatric problem with ICG \>= 30 (threshold symptoms; for CG group only). Controls will be free of current psychiatric disorders with the exception of specific phobia. * Normal or corrected vision Exclusion Criteria: * Psychiatric or sleep medications in the past 4 weeks (past 6 weeks for fluoxetine) * Concurrent grief or exposure based therapy * Lifetime bipolar, psychosis, significant neurological disorders * Past 6 months of alcohol/substance use disorder * Unstable medical illness * Serious safety concerns of suicide or homicide * Pregnant or nursing * Overnight shift work * \> 4 caffeinated or \> 11 alcoholic beverages per week * Screening reveals OSA defined as an apnea hypopnea index with 4% desaturation (AHI4%) ≥15 or an AHI4% ≥ with an Epworth \>10

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Clinical Global Impression Scales

Measure of Clinical Improvement and Severity of illness on a scale of 1-7; 1 being "Very Much Improved"; 7 being Very Much Worse

Time frame: 16 Weeks