Prolonged Grief Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
Grief, Yoga, Health Education
Brief summary
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.
Detailed description
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.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALIyengar Yoga
Participants will engage in 10 weekly IY classes
BEHAVIORALHealth Education Control
Participants will engage in 10 weekly socialization control group sessions
OTHERWaitlist Control to Crossover
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
Sponsors
Medical College of Wisconsin
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to 89 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Male or female greater than or equal to 40 years of age * Bereavement \>6 months * Score greater than or equal to 25 on the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG) * Presence of PGD (subsyndromal and syndromal) * Adequate visual and auditory acuity
Exclusion criteria
* Delirium/unstable medical conditions * Lifetime history of neurological illnesses: seizures, stroke, dementia of any -etiology, severe head injury, brain tumor or surgery * Serious back, joint or neck injuries within the past 3 months * Currently practicing yoga * Gross structural abnormalities on T1-weighted images * Lifetime history of the following psychiatric disorders: bipolar or psychotic -disorders, including psychotic depression * Current alcohol/drug abuse or dependence * Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contraindications * Acute suicidality
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Score on the Prolonged Grief 13-Revised (PG-13-R) scale | Baseline through study completion, up to 10 weeks | The investigators 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). |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTJoseph Goveas, MD
CONTACTKeri Hainsworth, PhD
Outcome results
None listed