Table 2.
Support/Counselling Interventions
| Type | Format | Pop | CG | RA | Num | TSL (days) | DT | Key Outcome Measures | Article |
| Mutual/Self-help | Individual | Adult | Y | Y-NE | 162/62 | ~30 | NR | Psychiatric Functioning (GHQ); Social Support/psychological and psychophysiological variables (author-created) | Vachon, Lyall, et al, 1980 |
| Mutual/Self-help (included professionally-lead groups) | Group | Senior | Y | RS | 339/295 | 30–60 | 56, 365 days | Self-Esteem (Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale); Life Satisfaction (LSI-A); Depression (GDS); Grief (TRIG) | Caserta & Lund, 1983 |
| Mutual/Self-help | Group | Senior | Y | N | 23 | 34–474 | 21 days; 7 sessions | Domain Specific State Locus of Control (Zeigler-Reid State Locus of Control Measure); Trait Locus of Control (I-E); Distress (BSI, GSI) | McKibbin, Guarnaccia, et al, 1997 |
| Mutual/Self-Help | Group | Adult | Y | Y | 113/67 | 90–365 | 63 days; 9 sessions | Depression (GHQ, BDI); Anxiety (STAI); Social Functioning (SAS); Social Support (SSQ) | Tudiver, Hilditch, et al, 1992 |
| Mutual/Self-help | Group | Adult | Y | Y-NE | 113/112 | 90–365 | 63 days | Healthcare visit rates (Family Physician, Specialist, Psychiatrist) | Tudiver, Permaul-Woods, et al, 1995 |
| Mutual/Self-help | Group | Adult | Y | N | 38/21 | 90–750 | 70 days; 10 sessions | Treatment Expectancy (Expectancy Scale); Depression (BDI); Avoidance, Anxiety (Social Anxiety and Distress Scale); Enjoyability (Pleasant Events Scale); Life Satisfaction (Life Satisfaction Scale) | Walls & Meyers, 1985 |
| Mutual/Self-help | Group | Adult | Y | N | 721/502 | ~1290 | 365 days; >3 sessions | Depression, Anxiety, Somatization (Hopkins Symptom Checklist); Self Esteem, Well-being, Mastery (Not reported) | Lieberman & Videka-Sherman, 1986 |
| Mutual/Self-help | Group | Adult | Y | N | 667/391 | 365–1095 | 365 days | Depression, Anxiety, Somatization (Not reported); Self Esteem (Rosenberg 1965); Life Satisfaction, Mastery, Medication (Not reported); Social Functioning Parental Functioning Attitudes (BPQ) | Videka-Sherman & Lieberman, 1985 |
| Mutual/Self-help | Group | Adult | N | Y-NE | 61/55 | 120–1095 | 84 days; 12 sessions | Avoidance/Intrusion (IES); Stress Symptoms (SRRS); Depression (BDI); Mental Distress (BPRS, SCL-90); Social Functioning (SAS-SR); Overall Functioning (GAS) | Marmar, Horowitz, et al, 1988** |
| Mutual/Self-help | Group | Adult | N | NA | 53/33 | <730 | 8 sessions, optional 4 | Psychosomatic Symptoms (SCL-90 subscales: somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, GSI) | Rogers, Sheldon, et al, 1982 |
| Professionally Lead | Individual | Adult | Y | NR | 493/225 | 120 | 1 day; 1 session | Grief (HGRC) | Kaunonen, Tarkka, et al, 2000 |
| Professionally Lead | Family | Adult | Y | Y-NE | 50/30 | 1–2 | 1–120 days; up to 8 sessions | General Health Questionnaire (self-rated); Anxiety, Depression (Leeds Scale) | Forrest, Standish, & Baum, 1982 |
| Professionally Lead | Family | Adult | Y | UC | 334/161* | <1–180 | 7–70 days; up to 10 sessions | Medical Illness (CMI, MMPI); Psychiatric Illness (Boston Bereavement, Mood Inventory); Family Functioning (Ferriera-Winter, Bodin Drawing); Crisis Coping (Intrapersonal, Family, Job/Financial, Social); Social Cost (Gross Income, Living Expenses, Absenteeism, Economic Loss) | Williams, Lee, & Polak, 1976 Polak, Egan, et al, 1975 |
| Professionally Lead | Family | Adult | Y | UC | 176/86* | <1–180 | 7–70 days; up to 10 sessions | Neurotic Symptoms Scale; Bodin Family Closeness; Crisis Coping Scale; Religious helping of others; Authoritarian Family Functioning; Depression; Monthly Income; Monthly Expenses; Social Costs; Bereavement Adjustment | Williams & Polak, 1979 |
| Professionally Lead | Family | Adult | N | NA | 77/37* | <1 | >360 days | Personal and social phenomena of death (structured interview) | Oliver, Sturtevant, et al, 2001 |
| Professionally Lead | Family | Child | Y | Y-NE | 72/55 | <730 | 15 sessions | Depression (CDI, CBCL, PERI Demoralization Scale); Parental Warmth (CRPBI); Family Cohesion (Family Environment Scale); Parent perception of support (author-created scale); Family Coping (F-COPES) | Sandler, West, et al, 1992 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Senior | N | NR | 28/11 | 90–7300 | <140 days; up to 20 sessions | Social Support (ASSIS); Affect/Mood (PANAS); Emotional/Social Loneliness (ESLI) | Stewart, Craig, et al, 2001 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | Y | Y | 197/166 | <180 | 70 days; 10 sessions | Grief (TRIG, GRI); Distress (POMS); Depression and Anxiety (SIGH-AD) | Goodkin, Blaney, et al, 1999 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | Y | Y-NE | 242/185 | 0–35 | 77 days; 3 sessions | Distress (POMS-TMD, Anxiety-tension, Depression-dejection, Anger-hostility, Confusion-bewilderment, Overall emotional disturbance); Self-Esteem (Rosenberg 1965 scale) | Swanson, 1999 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | Y | Y-NE | 150/120 | 30–240 | 270 days | Depression (CES-D, BDI); Anxiety (A-Sta); Somatic Symptoms (SOM); Emotional Symptoms (EMOT); Life Satisfaction (Lsat, SelfAnch) | Kay, Guernsey de Zapien, et al, 1993 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | Y | Y-NE | 119/119 | <180 | 70 days; up to 10 sessions | Immunological measures (CD3+CD4+ cell count, CD3+CD8+ cell count, CD4/CD8 ratio, CD3+ cell count, CD4 cell count, Lymphocyte count, T-lymphocyte count); Neuroendocrine measure (Plasma cortisol level) | Goodkin, Feaster, et al, 1998 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | Y | Y-NE | 110/80 | ~730 | 28 days; 8 sessions | Coping and Adaptation (TAT) | Balk, Lampe, et al, 1998 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | Y | Y-NE | 36/36 | <180 | 70 days; up to 10 sessions | Plasma Viral Load (HIV-1 RNA copy number) | Goodkin, Baldewicz, et al, 2001 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | Y | N | 159/127 | 42–140 | Up to 25 sessions | Social Support (SSES); Group Involvement (Liberman & Videka-Sherman, 1986); Depression (CES-D, POMS-D); Anger (POMS-A); Anxiety (POMS-T); Stress (IES) | Levy, Derby, et al, 1993 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | Y | N | 121 | 30–4745 | 30–365 days | Grief (HGRC subscales: Despair, Panic behavior, Personal growth, Blame and Anger, Detachment, Disorganization) | DiMarco, Menke, & McNamara, 2001 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | N | Y | 139/107 | 90–17155 | 84 days; 12 sessions | Avoidance/Intrusion (IES); Grief (TRIG); Interpersonal Distress (IIP); Social Functioning (SAS-SR); Depression (BDI); Anxiety (STAI); Mental Distress (BSI, GSI); Self-Esteem (SES); Physical Functioning (SF-36); Symptomatic Distress (SCL-90) | Piper, McCallum, et al, 2001** |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | N | N | 83/70 | <30–8030 | 49 days; 7 sessions | Physical, Emotional, and Social Functioning (author created measures); Self Esteem (Rosenberg, 1962); Locus of Control (I-E); Life satisfaction (Neugarten, Havighurdt, & Tobin, 1961); Attitude Toward Women (Spence & Helmreich, 1972, Gump 1972) | Barrett, 1978 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | N | NA | 392/77 | NR | 56 days | Distress (BSI); Group Process and Satisfaction (author created questionnaire) | Glajchen & Magen, 1995 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | N | NA | 174/138 | 780 | 730 days | Motives for joining (Lieberman 1979); Interpersonal relations (Porat 1987); Group leadership style (Porat 1987); Perceived contribution of treatment on recovery | Geron, Ginsberg, & Solomon, 2003 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | N | NA | 21/21 | NR | 70 days; up to 10 sessions | Perceived Social Support (PRQ); Perceived Stress (PSS) | Davis, Hoshiko, et al, 1992 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | N | NA | 21/21 | 365–3650 | 52 days; up to 8 sessions | Depression (CDI); Anxiety (HSC-25); Knowledge of Death and Bereavement (KDBQ) | Stoddart, Burke, & Temple, 2002 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | N | NA | 20 | 90–1095 | <1095 days; unlimited sessions | Grief (TRIG); Social Network (SNM, SNG) | Forte, Barrett, & Campbell, 1996 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Adult | N | NA | 12/5 | 60–780 | 28 days; 8 sessions | Emotional Distress (EPI); Family Adjustment (FACES-III); Social Adjustment (SAS-SR) | Heiney, Ruffin, & Goon-Johnson, 1995 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Child | Y | Y-NE | 17/17 | >730 | 42 days; 6 sessions | Self-Esteem (PH); Depression (CDI); Behavior (CBCL-TRF, CBCL-YSR) | Huss & Ritchie, 1999 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Child | N | NA | 38/29 | <900 | 300 days; 12 sessions | Depression (BID); Attitude/ Conception of Death (ATCD) | Shilling, Koh, et al, 1992 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Child | N | NA | 18/18 | <730 | 52 days; 8 sessions | Bereavement Survey (author created); Loss Resolution (LRS-Modified); Distress and Somatic Complaints (ALAC) | Opie, Goodwin, Finke, et al, 1992 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Child | N | NA | 6/6 | 240–1020 | 42 days; 6 sessions | Psychological measures (Lewis Counselling Inventory, IPAT) | Quarmby, 1993 |
| Professionally Lead | Group | Child | N | NA | 4/4 | <90 | 77 days; 11 sessions | Self-Esteem (Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale); Descriptive (Risk Impact, Negative Chain Events, Opening Up Opportunities) | Zambelli & DeRosa, 1992 |
| Professionally Lead | Couple/ Marital | Adult | Y | Y-NE | 57/31 | NR | Mean of 6 sessions | Grief (TRIG); Irritability, Depression, Anger (IDA) | Lilford, Stratton, et al, 1994 |
Notes: * Families, not individuals. ** Study also included psychotherapy condition. Legend: Type, Type of Intervention; Format, Format of Intervention; Pop, Target Population; CG, Control Group; RA, Random Assignment; Num, Number of subjects; TSL, Time Since Loss; DT, Duration of Trial; NA, Not Applicable; NR, Not Reported; UC, Unclear; Y, Yes; N, No; Y-NE, Randomization mentioned, but allocation method not explicitly stated; RS, Randomization Subverted.