MedTrace Logo

Supporting Family Members With Severe Grief Reaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

NCT04588415 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 121

Last updated 2025-03-20

Study results available
· View outcomes & findings →

Summary

This is a feasibility study taking place at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), Hôpital Montfort, and Queensway Carleton Hospital that seeks to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on family member bereavement and study the effect of virtual support groups on reducing risk of developing Severe Grief Reaction (SGR). This project is inviting family members of deceased patients at either of the three before mentioned sites to enroll in this study.

Conditions

  • Bereavement
  • Severe Grief Reaction

Interventions

OTHER

Bereavement Virtual Support Group

Family members who experience loss will be invited to attend a virtual support group (VSG) led by Bereaved Families of Ontario- Ottawa (BFO). In pre-COVID-19 times, BFO presented monthly "Support and Share" nights with guest speakers, followed by breakout peer support groups for all different types of losses: loss of child, spouse, parent, loss by suicide, etc. These groups are facilitated by trained volunteers with a shared loss and include between 75 and 150 participants. These Support and Share Nights serve as intake sessions- interested participants from the breakout groups can attend "Closed Groups" where a smaller group of participants (up to 12) explore their grief more deeply. These run over 8-10 consecutive weeks with the same group of participants. They are led by trained facilitators who have experienced similar losses. Each week has a different theme, based on evidence-based components of bereavement support (e.g. writing a letter to the deceased).

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • James Downar, MD · Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

  • Peter G Lawlor, MD · Bruyere Continuing Care

  • Henrique Parsons, MD · The Ottawa Hospital

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2021-01-03
Primary Completion
2022-02-17
Completion
2022-02-17

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04588415 on ClinicalTrials.gov