Purpose: This study compared the efficacy of complicated grief therapy (CGT; Shear, K. [2003]. Complicated grief: A guidebook for therapists [Liberty Version]. New York State Office of Mental Heath; Shear, K., Frank, E., Houck, P. R., & Reynolds, C. F. 3rd [2005]. Treatment of complicated grief: A randomized controlled trial. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 293, 2601–2608) administered as group therapy (CGGT) with standard group therapy (treatment as usual [TAU]) in older adults presenting with complicated grief (CG). Methods: The design was a 2×4, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial. The independent variable was group type, with 1 group receiving experimental methods based on the work of Shear et al. (Shear, K., Frank, E., Houck, P. R., & Reynolds, C. F. 3rd. [2005]. Treatment of complicated grief: a randomized controlled trial. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 293, 2601–2608), CGGT versus. TAU. The dependent variable was treatment response. Results: CGGT participants demonstrated higher treatment response than TAU participants. Although participants in both groups showed improvement in CG measures, CGGT participants realized significantly greater improvement. More importantly, when CG was measured on Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale, nearly half of CGGT participants realized clinically significant improvement. All CGGT completers had Brief Grief Questionnaire scores upon follow-up that, had they scored at that level at pretest, would have disqualified them for study enrollment. Implications: The high level of clinical significance suggests that CGGT participants were effectively treated for CG. This study offers evidence that CGGT holds promise for treatment of CG in older adults and merits inquiry in other populations.

COVID-19 has intensified the use of internet-mediated research for reaching historically underrepresented minorities (URMs) and other diverse groups. Preventing and detecting responses from automated accounts ‘bots’ and those who misrepresent themselves is one challenge in utilising online approaches. Through internet-mediated methods, interested LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ couples facing advanced cancer completed an interest form via REDCap®. Eligible participants received a direct link to electronic consent and surveys in REDCap®. Once responses to the interest form (N = 619) were received, the study PI: 1) assessed participants’ entries and non-response survey data (time of completion, rate of recruitment, etc.), 2) temporarily postponed recruitment, 3) sent eligibility questionnaires, consent documents, and validated surveys to N = 10 couples and scrutinised these data for suspicious patterns or indications of untrustworthy data, 4) responded to potential participants via email, and 5) implemented additional strategies for detecting and preventing untrustworthy survey responses. Investigators must consider multi-step eligibility screening processes to detect and prevent the collection of untrustworthy data. Investigators’ reliance on internet-mediated approaches for conducting research with diverse, hard-to-reach populations increases the importance of addressing threats to data validity. Ultimately, safeguarding internet-mediated research supports research accessibility and inclusion for URMs while also protecting participant data integrity.

Some US prisons are meeting the growing need for end-of-life care through inmate volunteer programs, yet knowledge of the motivations of inmate caregivers is underdeveloped. This study explored the motivations of inmate hospice volunteers from across Louisiana State (n = 75) through an open-ended survey, a grounded theory approach to analysis, and comparison of responses by experience level and gender. Participants expressed complex motivations; Inter-related themes on personal growth, social responsibility and ethical service to vulnerable peers suggested that inmate caregivers experience an underlying process of personal and social transformation, from hospice as a source of positive self-identity to peer-caregiving as a foundation for community. Better understanding of inmate caregiver motivations and processes will help prisons devise effective and sustainable end of life peer-care programs.

The importance of interprofessional collaboration in achieving high quality outcomes, improving patient quality of life, and decreasing costs has been growing significantly in health care. Palliative care has been viewed as an exemplary model of interprofessional care delivery, yet best practices in both interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional practice (IPP) in the field are still developing. So, too, is the leadership of hospice and palliative care social workers within IPE and IPP. Generating evidence regarding best practices that can prepare social work professionals for collaborative practice is essential. Lessons learned from practice experiences of social workers working in hospice and palliative care can inform educational efforts of all professionals. The emergence of interprofessional education and competencies is a development that is relevant to social work practice in this field. Opportunities for hospice and palliative social workers to demonstrate leadership in IPE and IPP are presented in this article.

As the number of prison inmates facing end-stage chronic illness grows, more prisons across the U.S. must address the need for end-of-life care. Many will likely need to develop a plan with potentially limited resources and external support. This case study presents one long-running model of care, the Louisiana State Penitentiary Prison Hospice Program. Based on field observations and in-depth interviews with hospice staff, inmate volunteers and corrections officers, we identify five essential elements that have contributed to the long-term operation of this program: patient-centered care, an inmate volunteer model, safety and security, shared values, and teamwork. We describe key characteristics of each of these elements, discuss how they align with earlier recommendations and research, and show how their integration supports a sustained model of prison end-of-life care.

We examined the therapeutic process of grief change in survivors of suicide participating in complicated grief group therapy (CGGT) using the meaning of loss codebook (MLC). Complicated grief group therapy is a multimodal group psychotherapy designed to restore normal grieving in persons with complicated grief. Using video data, we evaluated transition points in psychotherapy associated with meaning reconstruction: retelling the narrative of the death, having an imaginal conversation with the deceased, and memory integration. The MLC codes captured most of the voiced statements of participants, provided a valuable lens for articulating the therapeutic process, and affirmed that CGGT facilitated effective grief.