Abstract

Several interventions have been implemented to address the adverse psychological and physical consequences associated with bereavement. In this review, we summarize four major theories of bereavement, present a qualitative review of bereavement intervention studies, and assess the overall effectiveness of bereavement intervention studies in a quantitative meta-analysis. Summaries of the theories are drawn from published theoretical works. The qualitative and quantitative reviews were based on searches of Medline, PsychINFO, and Dissertation Abstracts International databases using the keywords "bereaved" and "bereavement." Overall, the interventions were largely methodologically flawed, rarely specified what theory of bereavement they were testing, and slowed surprisingly weak effect sizes. Possible interpretations for the small effect sizes are discussed, and future directions are outlined.

Keywords

Psychological interventionPsychologyIntervention (counseling)MEDLINEPsychological TheoryPsychotherapistMeta-analysisClinical psychologySocial psychologyMedicinePsychiatry

MeSH Terms

BereavementFamily TherapyHumansPsychoanalytic TheoryPsychotherapyGroupSocial Support

Affiliated Institutions

Related Publications

Publication Info

Year
1999
Type
review
Volume
19
Issue
3
Pages
275-296
Citations
148
Access
Closed

Social Impact

Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions

Citation Metrics

148
OpenAlex
15
Influential
100
CrossRef

Cite This

Pamela M. Kato, Traci Mann (1999). A synthesis of psychological interventions for the bereaved. Clinical Psychology Review , 19 (3) , 275-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0272-7358(98)00064-6

Identifiers

DOI
10.1016/s0272-7358(98)00064-6
PMID
10097872

Data Quality

Data completeness: 86%