Trial of Family Focused Grief Therapy in Palliative Care and Bereavement

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Cancer

In brief

The purpose of this study is to learn how well family therapy works if given while a family member is being treated for a serious illness and whether it helps their family to continue meeting for a time after their death. The therapy aims to assist the family communication and support during both palliative care and bereavement. The investigators also want to learn how many family therapy sessions spread out over time are best for helping patients and their families. Patients are randomly assigned to one of three groups: patients who receive standard palliative care, patients and their families who take part in 6 sessions, and patients and their families who take part in 10 sessions.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00580515

Run by

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

People needed

700

Starts

2005-11-08

Expected to finish

2026-03-11

Last updated by the study team

2026-03-13

Who can join

Age: 12 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Subject/Patient Inclusion Criteria
• Individuals with advanced disease/Stage 4-IV cancer who may be involved in palliative care treatment program.
• Individuals with a poor prognosis Patient and Family Member Inclusion Criteria.
• Per investigator's judgment participants must have satisfactory cognitive functioning to provide valid informed consent and participate in family therapy.
• In the event that the index family member is declining or too frail to take part in family meetings, the family is able to participate without the index patient being involved in the study.
• For every enrolled family there must be at least 2 family members willing/able to take part at the time of recruitment.
• The presence of FRI screening scores of ≤ 9 or cohesiveness subscale score < 4 based on the perception of any single family member, including the patient.

You may not qualify if…

• Inability through language to complete the study questionnaires - inability to speak English with an English-speaking therapist.
• Age less than 12 years old for a child.
• Patient and family member determined geographical inaccessibility to attend family sessions.
• Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator's judgment, to preclude participation in a psychotherapeutic intervention.

Where it is running

• Beth Israel Hospice Program — New York, New York, United States
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center — New York, New York, United States
• Calvary Hospital — The Bronx, New York, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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