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Publications

Journal Article Clinical Trial Protocol Ppublish

PubMed: 42845236 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2026.2735203

Brief internet intervention for grieving children and adolescents: co-design and trial protocol.

Eur J Psychotraumatol 17(1):2735203

Authors: Sarah J Egan, Elizabeth Bills, Amy O'Brien, Danyelle Greene, Sian B Pauley-Gadd, Tamara Zammit, Paul A Boelen, Bronwyn Myers, Kirsten V Smith, Jennifer Wild, Michael Duffy, David Trickey, Christopher Hall, James Clarke, Roanna Lobo, Daniel Rudaizky, Lauren J Breen

Affiliations

  • enAble Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
  • Discipline of Psychology, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
  • School of Psychology, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.
  • School of Business, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
  • Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
  • ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, Diemen, The Netherlands.
  • Mental Health, Alcohol, Substance Use and Tobacco Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, South Africa.
  • Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
  • Phoenix Australia, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
  • Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
  • University College London, London, UK.
  • Grief Australia, Melbourne, Australia.
  • enAble Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. Discipline of Psychology, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.

Abstract

Background: Internet interventions may improve access to help for grieving young people. In feedback from recent trials of internet interventions for grief, youth emphasised treatments should be shorter to address lack of time, which was the main barrier to uptake.Objective: The aim was to co-design a new brief internet intervention for grieving children and adolescents, and to outline a protocol for a pilot feasibility randomised controlled trial.Method: Nine children and adolescents (mean age =   15.22, 77.7% female, 33.3% male) co-designed the brief internet intervention.Results: A randomised controlled trial is planned where six- to 18-year-olds will be randomly allocated to the intervention or waitlist control. The intervention will consist of a brief single-session online programme. Outcomes will be assessed at pre, post-treatment and one-month follow-up. The primary outcome is symptoms of anxiety; secondary outcomes are well-being, symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress, and prolonged grief. Feasibility and acceptability will be assessed through recruitment rates, attrition and qualitative responses.Conclusions: Improving access to treatments for grief is important to address.Trial registration: ISRCTN.org identifier: ISRCTN21132251.

MeSH

Clinical Protocols, Internet, Signs And Symptoms, Grief, Adolescent, Internet-Based Intervention, Therapeutics, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Child