The efficacy of a brief e-mail based grief intervention

This project is designed to address a paradox: Why has the Pennebaker writing
paradigm not been beneficial in bereavement (one of the most stressful of
experiences), when it is so effective for coming to terms with other seemingly
less-impactful life events? Although Pennebaker down-plays the importance of
individual differences in general, our reasoning is that these are particularly
critical in bereavement. Drawing on attachment theory, we hypothesize that
securely-attached individuals will benefit less from writing about the loss of
their loved one than insecurely-attached bereaved persons. To increase the
power of the writing paradigm specifically for the bereaved, we have designed
five structured writing assignments each containing different instructions.
Theoretical importance lies in empirical examination of a previously
non-researched question and in integration of two theoretical perspectives: the
writing paradigm and attachment theory. Societal importance lies in the
potential to apply the findings to guide the planning of intervention for the
bereaved, by targeting only those individuals who will benefit from such a
manipulation.

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the short and long term
effect of the writing intervention (titled RELIEF) on the physical and mental
health of persons who have been bereaved by the death of a close loved one and
to see whether the efficacy is dependent on the attachment style of the person
receiving the intervention. The secondary objective of this study is to
investigate the mechanism by which RELIEF reaches its effect.

The study has a mixed within and between subjects design: 2 (writing
intervention/no intervention) x 3 (data collection points). Participants will
be randomly assigned to either the writing intervention or no intervention
condition.

RELIEF consists of a list of general guidelines for writing and five different
structured writing assignments that are sent to participants by email.

Participants assigned to the writing intervention condition will spend
approximately 2* hours on RELIEF and another 2* hours filling out
questionnaires totaling 5 hours. Participants assigned to the no intervention
condition will spend approximately 2* hours filling out questionnaires. Based
on a pilot study, up to date scientific research and extensive clinical and
research experience with bereaved people we conclude that participating in this
study carries no known or anticipated risks to participants. Both engaging in
RELIEF and filling out questionnaires might lead to some temporary negative
feelings. There are no direct benefits to participants.