After losing a loved one, most successfully navigate acute grief and adapt to the loss within about 1 year, but in about 10%, prolonged grief disorder (PGD) ensues. This study is anticipated to provide novel evidence regarding the neurobiological mechanisms of PGD in older adults. The biological alterations identified here could provide targets to elucidate how currently available therapies work and inform novel mechanism-based interventions for treating late-life PGD.
The objectives of this study are to (1) identify functional brain network features that differentiate PGD from integrated grief, and (2) conduct a mechanistic study in older adults with PGD to test whether exposure to 10-weeks of IY and HE modulate brain network targets and clarify how network changes relate to clinical response.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
126
Participants will engage in 10 weekly IY classes
Participants will engage in 10 weekly socialization control group sessions
Upon Step 1 study completion (week 10), participants in this group who continue to meet PGD criteria on the SCIP will enter Step 2 phase
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Score on the Prolonged Grief 13-Revised (PG-13-R) scale
We will measure change in the PG-13-R score from baseline to end of study. The PG-13-R scores range from 10 - 50 (higher scores indicate more severe grief symptoms).
Time frame: Baseline through study completion, up to 10 weeks
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