AI-GF-GNW on Prolonged Grief Reactions

Summary

Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is a severe, disabling condition characterized by intense yearning and difficulty accepting the reality of loss, which significantly impairs the academic and psychosocial functioning of bereaved adolescents. While Grief-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (GF-CBT) is effective, its high cost and resource-intensive nature limit its accessibility for adolescents in mainland China. Grief-Focused Guided Narrative Writing (GF-GNW) offers a scalable, low-cost alternative that facilitates memory integration.

Furthermore, integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide personalized, structured feedback has the potential to simulate therapist functions and enhance intervention efficacy. However, the specific efficacy of AI-assisted feedback in this context remains empirically unvalidated.

This parallel randomized controlled trial aims to examine the effectiveness of AI-assisted GF-GNW (AI-GF-GNW) in treating Chinese adolescents (aged 10-19) with subclinical PGD, compared to a no-feedback NF-GF-GNW group and a free writing group. Primary outcomes include PGD symptom severity, while secondary outcomes assess depression, anxiety, and daily functioning. We hypothesize that both active intervention arms will significantly alleviate PGD and related symptoms compared to the free writing group, and that the AI-GF-GNW group will demonstrate a significantly greater reduction in symptoms and functional impairment than the NF-GF-GNW group.

Conditions

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Prolonged Grief Symptoms
• Depression - Major Depressive Disorder
• Anxiety
• Disabilities

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

AI-Assisted Grief-Focused Guided Narrative Writing

Participants will independently complete the intervention writing tasks via the H5 platform. Participants were required to complete a 6-day, 3-session narrative writing task. Each session requires more than 20 minutes of uninterrupted writing. Session 1 requires describing the specific details and feelings of the bereavement event; Session 2 requires describing the negative impact of the event and one's own negative feelings; Session 3 requires a description of the positive impact of the event and one's own positive feelings, with a one-day interval between each session, synchronized with the NF-GF-GNW group. When participants complete and submit their writing, they will immediately receive a response generated by the AI large language model. Participants are not allowed to engage in any additional interaction with the AI large language model other than submitting writing content and receiving feedback.

BEHAVIORAL

No-Feedback Guided Narrative Writing

All processes are the same as the AI-GF-GNW group, except that when participants complete their writing and submit, the platform will only display a "submission successful" prompt and will not provide any feedback on the writing content.

BEHAVIORAL

Free Writing

Participants in the FWG will not receive structured guidance, and are only required to write freely about their loss experiences. The writing sessions will follow the same schedule and duration as the other groups.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Peking University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

10 Years

Max Age

19 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-05-25

Primary Completion

2027-05-31

Completion

2027-05-31

Countries

• China

Study Locations