Grief Reactions and Grief Counseling among Bereaved Chinese Individuals during COVID-19 Pandemic: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial Combined with a Longitudinal Study

Renzhihui Tang, Tong Xie, Keyuan Jiao, Xin Xu, Xinyan Zou, Wenli Qian and Jianping Wang
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Renzhihui Tang: Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Tong Xie: Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Keyuan Jiao: Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Xin Xu: Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Xinyan Zou: Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Wenli Qian: Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Jianping Wang: Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-12

Abstract: COVID-19 has caused nearly 4.3 million deaths all around the world. People who have experienced loss during this special period may find it difficult to adapt to life after loss, and may even suffer from prolonged grief disorder or other mental health problems. However, there is a huge gap of grief research in China, with almost no comprehensive grief intervention training system or very few professional grief consultants. Considering the large number of bereaved individuals who are suffering from grief and other mental health problems, it is significant to develop a suitable and effective intervention protocol immediately. This article illustrates a study protocol initiated by a Chinese university to investigate the mental health of bereaved individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic and train grief counselors to provide grief counseling to the bereaved, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of the grief counseling. The method is as follows: (1) 300 psychological counselors will be recruited to attend the grief counseling training. Assessments will be conducted at three time points: baseline (T0), after the basic training (T1), and after the advanced training (T2); (2) 500 bereaved Chinese will be recruit to join the online survey and will be assessed at two time points with a six-month interval; and (3) a two-armed (grief counseling versus wait-list controls) RCT (random control trials) will be conducted with 160 bereaved individuals. Assessments will be conducted at three time points: before randomization (baseline, T0), at the post-counseling (T1), and three months after the post-counseling (T2). Primary outcomes will be assessed by the Prolonged Grief Questionnaire (PG-13), the 20-item PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). This research will help develop grief research and grief counseling in China, as well as provide professional mental health services for individuals who may suffer from grief-related disorders in the future.

Keywords: grief reactions; mental health; bereavement; grief counseling; COVID-19 pandemic; prolonged grief disorder; complicated grief (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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