Aging, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Forgiveness
Conditions
Keywords
Emotion-Focused Therapy; Forgiveness; Aging; Randomized Controlled Trial; Feasibility Protocol
Brief summary
Over recent decades, Emotion-Focused Therapy, aging, and forgiveness have garnered significant attention in the field of psychology. However, there is a lack of studies on Emotion-Focused Therapy and forgiveness specifically tailored for older adults. This article describes a protocol to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Emotion-Focused Therapy for the resolution of emotional injury in individuals over the age of 65 in the context of interpersonal offenses. The study is structured as a two-arm, parallel-group randomized trial with a waiting list control. We propose recruiting a sample of 70 participants, randomly assigned to either an immediate intervention group, which will receive Emotion-Focused Therapy over twelve weekly sessions, or a control group that will receive the same therapy after a twelve-week waiting period. Data will be collected in the beginning, middle, and at the end of therapy, and in two planned follow-ups (three and six months after therapy). Once this protocol is implemented, if the therapy proves to be feasible, acceptable, and shows promising results, the findings will inform a large-scale randomized clinical trial to advance the understanding of psychotherapy.
Interventions
This feasibility protocol is a two-arm, parallel, double-blinded, RCT aimed at informing a future trial assessing the effectiveness of EFT in resolving emotional injuries in older adults in the context of interpersonal offenses.
Sponsors
University of Maia
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Our eligibility criteria include being 65 years or older, having experienced an interpersonal offense, residing at home or in a senior residence, stable prescribed medication use, scoring ≥ 26 on the MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and fluency in Portuguese or English.
Exclusion criteria
*
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enright Forgiveness Inventory-EFI | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks | EFI is a self-report measure designed to measure the level of forgiveness in response to a specific offense. The EFI consists of 60 items divided into three 20-item subscales that assess affect, behavior, and cognition related to forgiveness, using a 6-point Likert scale. Scores range from 60 to 360, with higher scores indicating higher levels of forgiveness. |
| Letting Go (assessed through the Letting Go Measure; Greenberg et al., 2008): | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks | The Letting Go is a self-report instrument comprising a single item that evaluates the extent to which individuals have released their negative emotions toward the injurer. Responses are measured on a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. |
| The Unfinished Business Feelings and Needs Scale (UFB FN-Greenberg et al., 2008;) | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks | The Unfinished Business Feelings and Needs Scale (UFB FN-Greenberg et al., 2008; Singh, 1994) consists of a 6-item scale designed to measure the extent to which an individual who has experienced an unfair situation feels acceptance and empathy toward the person who has harmed them, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The European Portuguese World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment in Older Adults (WHOQOL-OLD) | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks | The European Portuguese World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment in Older Adults (WHOQOL-OLD) (Power et al., 2005; Vilar et al., 2016) comprises 28 items classified on a five-point scale and encompassing seven domains: sensory, autonomy, activities, social, death, intimacy, and family life (Vilar et al., 2016). |
| The Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15; Matos et al., 2019; Yesavage & Sheikh, 1986) | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks | The Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15; Matos et al., 2019; Yesavage & Sheikh, 1986) is specifically designed for screening depressive symptoms in older adults. It consists of 15 straightforward questions, each requiring a simple Yes or No response. The scale ranges from zero (indicating no depressive symptoms) to 15 points (representing the highest severity of depressive symptoms), with each affirmative response scored as 1 point. The cut-off points are defined as follows: 0 to 4 for the absence of depressive symptoms, 5 to 8 for mild symptoms, 9 to 11 for moderate symptoms, and 12 to 15 for severe symptoms. |
Countries
Portugal
Contacts
Primary ContactBernardo Almeida Bernardo Dr, PhD
Backup ContactCarla Cunha Alexandra Dr, PhD
Outcome results
None listed