Bereaved Young Adults Study
Condition: Bereavement
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Bereaved adolescents and emerging adults are at risk for developing psychological disorders
      and complicated grief. Clinical grief interventions and conventional wisdom reflect an
      implicit assumption that sharing and expressing one's feelings surrounding a loss (i.e.,
      emotional disclosure) facilitates psychological adjustment. However, studies of emotional
      disclosure have yielded null results in bereaved samples. Individuals who have encountered
      stressful life events, including interpersonal loss, often report a desire to "give back" to
      others in similar situations. Empirical evidence suggests that providing support to others
      can be equally, if not more, beneficial than receiving support. The opportunity to support
      others experiencing stressful circumstances may address common feelings of powerlessness and
      engender a sense of meaning, enhancing positive affect and reducing distress. Interventions
      that leverage prosocial behaviors are associated with positive effects, including increases
      in wellbeing in non-bereaved populations. To date, no research has examined the utility of
      prosocial interventions for bereaved individuals.

      The present study tests a novel expressive helping intervention that combines elements of
      expressive disclosure and prosocial writing. Expressive helping will be compared to
      traditional expressive disclosure and a neutral writing control condition in a sample of
      bereaved young adults. Participants (N=156) will be randomized to one of three
      conditions-expressive disclosure, expressive helping, or a neutral writing control-and
      complete three weekly 20-minute writing sessions. Measures of psychological distress,
      well-being, and hypothesized mediators will be administered before, immediately following
      (within 48 hours of the final writing session), one month, and two months after the writing
      sessions. It is hypothesized that the participants in the expressive helping condition will
      evidence greater increases in well-being and decreases in grief-related distress at the one
      and two-month follow-ups, as compared to the other two groups.
    


Intervention name(s): Expressive Disclosure; Expressive Helping; Fact-Writing
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Prior to each writing session, participants will receive general instructions for completing the writing (e.g., write continuously for 20 minutes, do not worry about grammar, sentence structure, repetition), and be reminded that their writing will remain confidential. Three writing sessions will be spaced 1-2 weeks apart. A weekly writing prompt will instruct participants to write about their deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding their bereavement experience.; Prior to each writing session, participants will receive general instructions for completing the writing (e.g., write continuously for 20 minutes, do not worry about grammar, sentence structure, repetition), and be reminded that their first two writing will remain confidential, and their final essay will be de-identified before being provided to newly bereaved young adults. Three writing sessions will be spaced 1-2 weeks apart. In the first two writing sessions, participants will receive a writing prompt that will instruct them to write about their deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding their bereavement experience. For the final writing session, participants will receive a writing prompt instructing them to provide advice and support for a newly bereaved young adult.; Prior to each writing session, participants will receive general instructions for completing the writing (e.g., write continuously for 20 minutes, do not worry about grammar, sentence structure, repetition), and be reminded that their writing will remain confidential. Three writing sessions will be spaced 1-2 weeks apart. A weekly writing prompt will instruct participants to write objectively about different time frames (e.g., routine for getting up in the morning, routine for going to sleep at night).
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: Expressive Disclosure; Prosocial; Expressive Writing; Peer Helping; Young Adults