TY  - JOUR
A1  - Vogel, Anna Katharina
A1  - Comteße, Hannah
A1  - Nocon, Agnes
A1  - Kersting, Anette
A1  - Rief, Winfried
A1  - Steil, Regina
A1  - Rosner, Rita
T1  - Feasibility of present-centered therapy for prolonged grief disorder: results of a pilot study
T2  - Frontiers in psychiatry
N2  - Present-centered therapy (PCT) was originally developed as a strong comparator for the non-specific effects of psychotherapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. PCT qualifies as a not strictly supportive treatment as it is structured and homework is assigned between sessions. It does not focus on cognitive restructuring or exposure. A growing body of literature supports its beneficial effects. For example, it demonstrated only slightly inferior effect sizes and lower dropout rates compared to that of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy in several trials with patients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. The current study is the first to evaluate the feasibility and the treatment effects of PCT in adults with prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Meta-analyses on psychotherapy for PGD have yielded moderate effect sizes. N = 20 individuals suffering from PGD were treated with PCT by novice therapists as part of a preparation phase for an upcoming RCT in an outpatient setting. Treatment consisted of 20–24 sessions á 50 min. All outcomes were assessed before treatment, at post-treatment, and at the 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome, PGD symptom severity, was assessed using the Interview for Prolonged Grief-13. Secondary outcomes were self-reported PGD severity, depression, general psychological distress, and somatic symptom severity. Furthermore, therapists evaluated their experiences with their first PCT patient and the treatment manual. In intent-to-treat analyses of all patients we found a significant decrease in interview-based PGD symptom severity at post-treatment (d = 1.26). Decreases were maintained up to the 3-month follow-up assessment (d = 1.25). There were also significant decreases in self-reported PGD symptoms, depression, and general psychological distress. No changes were observed for somatic symptoms. The completion rate was 85%. Therapists deemed PCT to be a learnable treatment program that can be adapted to the patient's individual needs. The preliminary results of PCT as a treatment for PGD demonstrate large effects and indicate good feasibility in outpatient settings. The treatment effects were larger than those reported in meta-analyses. Thus, PCT is a promising treatment for PGD. Possible future research directions are discussed.
KW  - prolonged grief disorder
KW  - loss
KW  - psychotherapy
KW  - bereavement
KW  - present-centered therapy
Y1  - 2021
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/62014
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-620141
SN  - 1664-0640
N1  - Some parts of the study were funded by proFOR+, a funding program run by the Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt. The open access publication of this article was supported by the Open Access Fund of the Catholic University Eichstaett-Ingolstadt. The associated RCT following this study was funded by a grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG RO 2042/7-1).
VL  - 12
IS  - art. 534664
SP  - 1
EP  - 12
PB  - Frontiers Research Foundation
CY  - Lausanne
ER  -