COVID Grief Intervention Study 2020-2021

COVID-19 has taken many lives worldwide and millions of persons are in grief. When the grief process lasts longer than 6 months, the sufferer is at risk of developing Complicated Grief Disorder (CGD). DGD is characterized by intense emotional distress that can last longer than socially expected and that causes a disability in the person's daily functioning, and endangers their health and well-being. Interventions can be applied to reduce the probability of developing CGD. In developing countries like Mexico where psychological services are scarce, self-applied interventions are a possible way to prevent CGD.

The Project designed an online self-applied intervention, the COVID Grief Platform, composed of 12 modules focused on decreasing the risk of developing CGD. A Randomized Controlled Trial was then conducted with participants assigned to an intervention. The interventions included elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Mindfulness and Positive Psychology. To analyse the outcomes, multiple (4) mixed between-within subjects ANOVA tests and post-hoc tests were conducted. Between-group comparisons with experimental and control groups were also carried out from Time 1 to Time 4. Finally a separate study was undertaken on the efficacy of the intervention in 2021.