Abstract
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 793-803 |
Journal | Trauma, Violence and Abuse |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 22 Oct 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2021 |
Funding
Filipa Alves-Costa is a HCPC Registered Practitioner Forensic Psychologist working within an in-patient forensic mental health service in the UK. She completed a PhD at the University of Bath exploring homicidal loss, and a Postdoctoral research position at the Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology at Kings College London investigating intimate partner violence among UK military personnel and civilian partners. Her applied-research is likely to inform policy and clinical practice as it focusses on experiences of victimization and perpetration of crime, mental health following homicidal loss and help-seeking attitudes. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and been involved in teaching, supervision and training roles Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis is a forensic and clinical psychologist with over twenty years’ experience in child protection and family violence. Previously a Psychologist in Birmingham Social Services undertaking family risk assessments, Catherine is now Reader in Clinical Psychology at the University of Bath, UK. Catherine has an extensive body of research published in peer‐reviewed journals. Her work focuses on child maltreatment, trauma and risk assessment, considering victims and offenders (e.g., harmful sexual behaviour; online grooming). She is co-editor of the Wiley book, What Works in Child Maltreatment: An Evidence Based Approach to Assessment and Intervention in Child Protection (2017). Hope Christie is a third year PhD student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath. Her PhD research is investigating the impacts of posttraumatic stress disorder on parenting outcomes, and the family dynamic. She received her Bachelor's of Science degree in Psychology, and her Masters of Research degree, with distinction, at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland. Mariëtte van Denderen obtained her PhD in Grief following homicidal loss in the Clinical Psychology Department at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. She further worked as a security analyst for the police department and works as a researcher and project coordinator in a Forensic Psychiatric Centre in the Netherlands. She developed a guideline regarding contact between victims/bereaved individuals and mentally ill offenders. Currently, this guideline is implemented in several forensic mental health institutions in the Netherlands. Furthermore, she works as an instructor in the m the master’s program in Clinical Forensic Psychology and Victimology at the University of Groningen. Sarah Halligan is a professor in Clinical Psychology at the University of Bath. Her research has examined the development of psychological disorders, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, with a focus on young people. In the PTSD field Dr Halligan has examined the cognitive-behavioural, biological and social factors that contribute to disorder following trauma exposure; and has studied both national and international populations. Dr Halligan’s research has been funded by UK funding bodies including the ESRC, MRC, British Academy, Nuffield Foundation, NIHR, Welcome Trust, and the Royal Society. 1 Department of Psychology, University of Bath, United Kingdom 2 Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, the Netherlands Filipa Alves-Costa, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom. Emails: [email protected] ; [email protected] 2019 1524838019881716 © The Author(s) 2019 2019 SAGE Publications Research has demonstrated that approximately 45–50% of individuals show healthy levels of psychological and physical functioning in the first 12 months post-loss. Homicidal bereavement (loss due to murder or manslaughter) does not appear to follow this pattern. Homicide-related mental health difficulties are a serious problem worldwide, displaying high rates of lifetime incidence, high chronicity, and role impairment. Individuals are at increased risk to develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complicated grief (CG), and depression. Nevertheless, a systematic review specifically on the efficacy of psychological interventions following homicidal loss has not yet been conducted. The current systematic review (registered via PROSPERO) aimed to review the psychological interventions available and report their effectiveness. Of 77 records, 7 met predefined inclusion criteria. Studies presented different methodologies, tested different clinical models, and treatment conditions. Thus, a narrative systematic review was conducted. Studies included manualized interventions to deliver 1:1 and group sessions. Cognitive behavioral therapy, restorative retelling, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing were the main models used together with psychoeducational elements about trauma and grief responses. Overall, symptoms of PTSD, CG, and depression decreased significantly postintervention. Sustained improvements were reported for PTSD and depressive symptoms at the follow-up measurements. Mixed results were found regarding how individual (age, gender) and external factors (time since loss, relationship with the deceased) impact on symptom progression. As a result of differences in methodologies, categorization of therapies, methodological differences, and small sample sizes, important questions remain unanswered. Further randomized controlled trials and expert consensus could be considered. bereavement loss homicide mental health trauma psychological interventions Escaping Victimhood and the University of Bath edited-state corrected-proof Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Funding The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by Escaping Victimhood and the University Bath Graduate Studentship Allowance (collaborative scholarship). ORCID iD Filipa Alves-Costa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5235-3703 Supplemental Material Supplemental material for this article is available online.
Keywords
- bereavement
- homicide
- loss
- mental health
- psychological interventions
- trauma
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Applied Psychology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health