Treating Young Refugees with a Grief-Focused Group Therapy—A Feasibility Trial

The death of a loved one has been identified as one of the most commonly reported traumatic experiences among refugees. This phenomenon can lead to the development of prolonged grief disorder (PGD), for which particularly elevated PGD rates were observed among refugees. Currently, there is no treatment specifically designed for refugees with PGD. Therefore, this study investigates the feasibility of a newly developed grief-focused cognitive behavioral group therapy (G-CBT) for this population. Four young refugees aged 16 to 18 and suffering from PGD were assessed pre, during and after treatment. We found a high comorbidity of PGD, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression at baseline. Among completers, clinician-rated PGD symptom severity decreased clinically significantly at posttreatment and remained stable at the three- and six-month follow-ups. The results indicate good feasibility in an outpatient setting with therapists providing positive feedback. However, larger and controlled studies are needed to prove its efficacy.