Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy – Traumatic Grief (BEP-TG) among Refugees with Traumatic Grief: A Pilot Study of Treatment Effects and Moderators of Effects

Abstract

Background: The number of immigrants in the Netherlands with a refugee background is growing. Several studies showed that refugees have a high risk on experiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress, disturbed grief and depression. Traumatic grief refers to a combination of these symptoms. Until now, the newly developed treatment for traumatic grief, Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy-Traumatic Grief (BEP-TG), has only been examined in a case study. Aim: To examine the potential efficacy of BEP-TG in alleviating symptoms of posttraumatic stress and grief in refugees and to explore the potential moderators of its effects, including severity of symptoms pre-treatment, number of losses, kinship to the deceased, gender and age of the patient. Method: 27 refugees received BEP-TG as part of the Day treatment Traumatic Grief at Foundation Centrum ’45, location Diemen. The Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and the Traumatic Grief Inventory (TGI), administered before and after the BEP-TG, were used to measure PTSD and grief symptoms. From these questionnaires (severity of symptoms pre-treatment, number of losses and kinship) and from patient files (gender and age) information was gained to measure the potential moderators. Results: As predicted, analyses showed that the CAPS (p<. 001) and TGI (p< .05) scores decreased from pre-treatment to post-treatment. Clinically more patients were improved in CAPS scores than in TGI scores. There were no moderators of the change in CAPS scores. The change in TGI scores (p< .05) was moderated by age of the patient or kinship to the deceased or age of the patient and kinship to the deceased together. Conclusion: BEP-TG has a potential efficacy among refugees with traumatic grief, whereby the treatment effect is potentially moderated by age of the patient, kinship to the deceased or age of the patient and kinship to the deceased together. These results points to directions for future research; e.g. randomized controlled trials with larger samples, more exploration of moderators and improvement symptoms and more precise data collection.