Prolonged Grief in Young Bereaved Spouses and Partners

NCT00745784 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 08-100
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The purpose of the research is to learn more about the experience of grief in young bereaved spouses/partners. Recent research has shown that young bereaved spouses/partners experience grief uniquely from other age groups, but it is still unclear how certain factors affect the experience of grief. The investigators research team is interested in studying how the psychological factors of trauma, personality, and meaning of the loss affect grief reactions in young spouses/partners after the loss of a spouse to cancer.

Conditions

Grief

Keywords

Young Bereaved Spouses

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• To determine the rate and levels of prolonged grief in young bereaved spouses/partners of cancer patients

  conclusion of the study

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• To determine associations among prolonged grief, personality characteristics , previous trauma, & subjective meanings of the loss to the bereaved spouse in young bereaved spouses/partners of cancer

  conclusion of the study

• To evaluate whether unique themes emerge among those reporting prolonged grief

  conclusion of the study

• To evaluate whether unique themes emerge among those reporting obsessive and histrionic personality traits

  conclusion of the study

Study Arms (1)

1

Young spouses/domestic partners (20-49 years old) of cancer patients who have died from cancer.

Behavioral: in-person or telephone interview

Interventions

in-person or telephone interview BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be administered one battery of questionnaires that should take 50- 55 minutes, which may be broken down into two or more segments if necessary. They may choose to have these questionnaires administered to them in person at the hospital, in person at their home, or via telephone by a trained master's level research assistant.

1

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 49 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Only spouses/partners of deceased Calvary and Memorial Sloan Kettering patients will be assessed in this study.

You may qualify if:

• Participants must be at least 20 years old and no older than 49 years and 11 months old.
• Participants must have lost a spouse/domestic partner to cancer 6 months to 3 years earlier.
• Participants must be able to give informed consent.
• Participants must be able to comprehend English to complete study assessments.

You may not qualify if:

• Major psychopathology or cognitive impairment likely in the judgment of the research staff to interfere with the participation or completion of the protocol.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: lead
• Calvary Hospital, Bronx, NY: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York, New York, 10065, United States

Location

Calavery Hospital

The Bronx, New York, 10462, United States

Location

Related Links

• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Interviews as Topic

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Officials

• Sherry Schacter, PhD

  Calvary Hospital, Bronx, NY

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 2, 2008
• First Posted: September 3, 2008
• Study Start: January 1, 2009
• Primary Completion: August 1, 2011
• Study Completion: August 1, 2011
• Last Updated: August 18, 2011

Record last verified: 2011-08

Locations

US (2)